It's hard for me to believe WB will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to produce a single Superman movie without having the rights in place to make a sequel to it after 2013. A one-off Superman film is definitely not a part of DCE's strategy for the future. Sure, they've followed the judge's ruling and put one into development, but barring some sort of legal victory against Toberoff or a breakthrough in negotiations with the heirs, I don't see them committing one to film. At least not one with elements from Action Comics #1 and everything else that would revert to the Siegels and Shusters.
the whole legal thing is just one big mess.
I really don't know why u guys are fretting about this.... it's not going to affect anything.
Too bad we will all die in 2012
All this legal crap makes me sick. It's enough to make you throw up on your computer.
All of this doesn't matter, they have to settle. No matter what happens with the Siegels and Shusters they do not have overseas distribution rights. This notion that these families are going to go out and make their own Superman movie is so funny I can't contain myself. They can't do anything.
In fighting back at that lawsuit, Toberoff filed a bunch of motions seeking to dismiss the complaint and have it declared a violation of his free speech rights under California's anti-SLAPP law. Warners then amended its lawsuit slightly, prompting Toberoff to file his motions again. But the judge ruled the anti-SLAPP motion moot due to the amended complaint.
Still with us? It's pretty complicated, but in a nutshell, as Warners pressed forward with its case, including noticing the depositions of the Siegel and Shuster heirs, Toberoff appealed the order saying the anti-SLAPP motion was mooted. And Friday, on the eve of a scheduled hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright, the judge stayed the entire case against Toberoff pending resolution of that appeal.
That means the studio’s controversial litigation against Toberoff sits on ice temporarily. How long? Appeals can take as long as 18 months but Warners can file a motion to dismiss the appeal, which could speed things up. Still, as the studio ramps up production of its latest Superman movie, the future of the character remains very much in question.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/thr-esq/%E2%80%98superman%E2%80%99-lawsuit-delayed-appeal-31344
This case is never going to end.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Superman' Lawsuit Delay Lifted; Depositions of Siegel and Shuster Families to Begin Immediately
A federal judge has just lifted the delay in the long-running Superman litigation, setting the stage for Warner Bros. to proceed with key depositions of the families of Man of Steel creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel.
As we reported last month, the judge overseeing the high-profile Superman case delayed the matter indefinitely as lawyers for Warner Bros.' DC Comics and the heirs of Shuster and Siegel awaited an appeal of a procedural ruling that could have taken many months. Warners challenged that ruling, and now U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright has modified the order, allowing the studio to restart its information-gathering and "proceed with full discovery of [heirs] Joanne Siegel, Laura Siegel Larson, Jean Peavy and Mark Peavy."
The Nov. 16 order is the latest in the cartoonishly nasty battle between Warners and the Superman heirs over rights to the lucrative character. After a judge ruled a few years back that the studio might lose certain copyrights associated with the Man of Steel, Warners sued Marc Toberoff, the attorney for the families, claiming he improperly convinced them to back out of deals and terminate their copyright assignments relating to Superman.
Now, as Warners fast-tracks its planned Christopher Nolan-produced, Zack Snyder-directed Superman reboot, Toberoff is fighting back agressively against that lawsuit, filing a host of motions attempting to have the case dismissed and Warners punished for targeting him personally. Now, thanks to this ruling, Warners will soon have its chance to ask questions of Toberoff's clients.
Warners lead attorney Dan Petrocelli tells THR that the depositions, which were initially scheduled for Nov. 15, will be rescheduled immediately. We've left word for Toberoff and will update will his comment.