‘Superman’ Producer Warner Bros. Is Hit A With Lawsuit By The Estate Of Character’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster Ahead Of Film’s Release
There is no dispute that Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios, including its Co-President James Gunn who also directs the upcoming film, want Superman to be a big deal. A lot is riding on it so it has to be successful, and they must keep building momentum and enthusiasm for the release, which is only six months from now.
Unfortunately for them, not everything is going according to plan. Reports of supposedly bad buzz for the movie broke late last year, and if that wasn’t bad enough, things got a bit worse. The estate of The Man of Steel’s co-creator and artist Joe Shuster has filed a lawsuit against WB and DC that could threaten Superman’s distribution in a few critical territories.
The suit was filed in a New York City federal court. Still, per The Independent and other sources, Shuster’s estate is basing its case on British copyright laws stipulating character rights should revert to a creator’s estate 25 years after his death. Shuster passed away in 1992 so a reversion would be overdue by almost a decade.
However, it would only apply outside the United States, where the Shuster estate is seeking back pay – in territories including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The lawsuit claims WB didn’t pay royalties to the estate for the use of the character in these countries.
As well as damages, lawyers for the estate are seeking “a court order that would prevent depictions of Superman without a license.” If the lawsuit goes anywhere, it could jeopardize the release of Gunn’s film in the British Commonwealth and around the world. “We fundamentally disagree with the merits of the lawsuit, and will vigorously defend our rights,” responded a rep for Warners.
“This suit is not intended to deprive fans of their next Superman, but rather seeks just compensation for Joe Shuster’s fundamental contributions as the co-creator of Superman,” Shuster estate lawyer Marc Toberoff said in contrast.
Superman was created in 1938 by Shuster and Jerry Siegel. DC took ownership and turned the property into a multimillion-dollar worldwide sensation eminent in popular culture for nearly a century. For years, Siegel and Shuster struggled just to get recognition; never mind by-lines and stipends.
The lawsuit claims the duo merely licensed the character rights to DC back in the day and (via Screen Rant) “Defendants continue to exploit Superman across these jurisdictions without the Shuster Estate’s authorization—including in motion pictures, television series, and merchandise—in direct contravention of these countries’ copyright laws, which require the consent of all joint copyright owners to do so.”
Previous lawsuits ruling in DC’s favor declared the publisher legitimately bought the rights from the pair (for the notorious sum of $130).
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