You know the worst thing about this story is it didn’t manage to make it through to the Courts and the movie pulled, but it seems to have been saved at the last minute by a nice big American style behind closed doors lawsuit payoff.
From Movie Web:
According to The Hollywood Reporter, For a little while, at least, a federal judge told Warner Bros. to cancel the release of The Dukes of Hazzard and impound any copies of the film.
Preliminary injunction was issued last Friday in a suit brought by producer Robert B. Clark. Warners bought TV rights to his obscure 1975 film “Moonrunners” when the studio originally made the Hazzard TV skein.
Clark alleged nothing in the original 1978 contract gave Warners the right to also make a movie. In issuing such a far-reaching order, Judge Gary Allen Feess agreed.
“Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood that they will be able to prove at trial that they have an ownership interest in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ film,” Feess wrote.
Suit has since been settled, but legal sources not involved in the case said Warners likely paid a pretty penny to settle.
Marc Toberoff, who represented the plaintiffs, said, “The parties have reached a settlement of all claims in the litigation. The terms of that settle-ment are confidential.”
Well let’s face it, I doubt he would have ever managed to get the lawsuit to a good decision for him, even if the Judge was talking as though he was siding with him. So getting hard cash compensation is probably the next best thing.
Still…it was almost pulled. The Judge did make an interesting point though, WB claimed that the authors left it too late to file a suit, but the Judge returned saying that it was ironic that with all their lawyers and volumes of documents, that they were surprised by the claim. Shouldn’t they have done their homework first instead of letting it get to this stage?
I wish that it did’t have stiffler in it, he sucks, and his not country enough, not true I just cant stand him
After Wedding Crashers, this is the comedy I’m most looking forward to this summer. Really!
Oh we were so close too. I hate settlements.
Crap…lawsuits didn’t work. Common decency didn’t work. The only thing left that may kill this movie is good old, wholsome voodoo.
Now if only I could get a paint chip from the General Lee…
Oh, come on, Meli. Willie Nelson is worth the price of admission alone. He needs work!
Unfortunately, enough of the viewing public will probably see this steaming pile and help pave the way for Jessica Simpson to be cast in other flims. *shutters at the thought*
I’ve seen the trailer twice in the last week while at the movies and there is NOTHING attractive about this film. It hurts to watch.
I tell you folks these movie travesties are signs of the apocalypse!
Wasn’t this the plot of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back?
This might be a movie that is really fun. Now a lot of movies are fun, but there is something about the broadness of making a televison show into a movie. Becuase so far no of them have been serious. They are always a parody of some type, but have an essence to them on their own. I CAN”T WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE TO COME OUT! Lilly, just give it a chance.
Oh, for the love of dogs, pull the piece of shit and make room for something else at the cinemas this summer! I beg of your, dear producers, don’t inflict this upon us. What have we, the viewing public, ever done to deserve such a pack of locus on our lives???