{"id":250779,"date":"2025-02-10T10:11:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T10:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=250779"},"modified":"2025-02-10T10:11:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T10:11:02","slug":"its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-litigation-the-lawsuit-flying-around-james-gunns-superman-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-litigation-the-lawsuit-flying-around-james-gunns-superman-e\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s … Litigation! The Lawsuit Flying Around James Gunn’s ‘Superman,’ E…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Over the years, DC Comics and Superman in particular have had an interesting screen life. Retcons and reinventions are certainly nothing new throughout Warner Bros.’ attempts<\/a> to bring their iconic characters to life cinematically, though the end results have been wildly mixed. But, now, producer\/director James Gunn<\/strong><\/a>, along with Peter Safran<\/strong>, one of the lead producers behind Warner\u2019s massively successful The Conjuring Universe<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, have set out to reboot the series, shifting away from the DCEU in favor of the new DCU. Gunn\u2019s highly anticipated Superman<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is set to inaugurate the new franchise in the summer of 2025. However, it\u2019s not all smooth soaring for everyone\u2019s favorite Man of Steel, thanks to the filing of a recent lawsuit.<\/a> Collider\u2019s here to explain the matter, and what it means for the future of Superman as a whole.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Rights to \u2018Superman\u2019 Are Complex<\/h2>\n

In many ways, Superman<\/em> is the perfect way to reboot Warner Bros.’ struggling superhero franchise. Not only is the character one of DC\u2019s most iconic, the new cast<\/a> and change in tone have fans excited for the film’s summer release. However, a recently filed lawsuit is throwing a wrench into those plans. According to the Independent<\/a>, the rights to the character have quite a few contingencies attached to them, with certain specificities reaching all the way back to 1938, when Superman was the joint creation of illustrator Joseph Shuster and writer Jerome Siegel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Per the lawsuit, the character was originally licensed to Detective Comics, the company that would eventually morph into DC. However, Shuster\u2019s estate is now arguing that, under British law, the rights to Superman actually reverted to them in 2017 after the 25th anniversary of Shuster\u2019s passing<\/strong>. With that in mind, the suit posits that Warner Bros. has failed to pay proper royalties for the character in several regions outside the U.S., including the U.K., Canada, and Australia. Unless some sort of agreement is reached, the lawsuit could throw the future of the Superman<\/em> franchise into disarray. However, Shuster\u2019s estate claims this isn\u2019t actually their intent.<\/p>\n

Shuster\u2019s Estate Is Seeking a Deal to Allow More \u2018Superman\u2019<\/h2>\n

The court order filed by Shuster\u2019s estate is seeking monetary damages, in addition to the prevention of further Superman<\/em>-based material without the proper license. Per Reuters<\/a>, Warner Bros. has done something rather rare by opting to respond to the lawsuit, saying: “We fundamentally disagree with the merits of the lawsuit, and will vigorously defend our rights.” Shuster\u2019s estate has also responded, but with nuanced claims surrounding their intentions. “This suit is not intended to deprive fans of their next Superman,” claims Marc Toberoff<\/strong>, a lawyer for the estate, “but rather seeks just compensation for Joe Shuster’s fundamental contributions as the co-creator of Superman.”<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, it remains to be seen how the suit will affect the international release of James Gunn’s upcoming epic<\/a>. It should also be noted that this isn\u2019t the first time such a battle has been fought over Superman<\/em><\/strong>. The estates for both Shuster and Siegel have waged legal war over the character with Warner Bros. a number of times over the years<\/a>. But, with this one, we will have to wait to see how it all plays out in court over the next few months.<\/p>\n

Source link <\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n