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Producers of ‘IT’ (1990) File Lawsuit Against Warner Bros.

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Executive producers on 1990’s TV miniseries of Stephen King’s It have filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. this Thursday in Los Angeles Superior court. Frank Konigsberg and Larry Sanitsky say that they’ve been denied profits for the recent movie, claiming that it’s a remake of their production.

Konigsberg and Sanitsky say that they are owed a minimum of 10 percent of the profits for the Warner Bros. and New Line Cinemas production from 2017 and the upcoming sequel due to the fact that they have a contractual right to participate in any “sequel, series, remake, or spinoff,” and were denied any chance of negotiation of the new films production.

And the two claim:

“That the 2017 feature film is indeed a ‘remake’ is indisputable.”

I’m not so sure, but I feel that they may have forgotten about some guy named Stephen King or whatever his name is, and some long book no one really read from the 80s. I could be wrong though – Andy Muschietti probably doesn’t know about the book either.

The two ran a production company called Telepictures Productions during the mid 80’s before being merged with Lorimar. It’s now a division of Warner Bros. and produces shows like Ellen.

THR brought this situation to light, and explains:

The plaintiffs say they shepherded development of the 1990 miniseries, but that despite its success, a profit participation statement in 1995 showed the miniseries was in deficit with no profits to distribute. The two say they then waited 25 years for another profit statement, when finally this past March they got one showing they were entitled to $1 million in profits. The lawsuit questions whether that’s really everything, and Konigsberg and Sanitsky include claims of fraud over the accounting.
The portion of the dispute pertaining to the more recent movies figures to be the higher stakes battle given how It has reached blockbuster status.

 

It’s really up to the courts to decide if their claims are valid. I truly don’t see how the New Line and Warner Bros.’ new It films could possibly be considered a remake – sure, it has some similarities to the 1990 version… but that’s because they’re both based on a ridiculously successful book!

Sure, there were inspirations taken from the miniseries. But taking inspiration is not making a full-blown remake. Where is the logic in that?

Look – I’m no lawyer and I wasn’t in that court room. I’m sure there’s some information that’s open to interpretation that isn’t fully understood by people on the outside. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this pans out.

Maybe they’re just upset about how much better the new version is. Yeah, I said it. What are you going to do – sue me?

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Airbnb Scareprank Pits Influencers Against ‘The Strangers’

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 was released this week. This is the first part of Renny Harlin’s trilogy which appears to be a retelling of the 2008 original. Early reviews are passable, but many have said it is not as scary as the original and hope this first installment is just a taste of what is to come.

However, social media influencers got the scare of their lives after they were invited to an Airbnb for a special screening. As they watched the film masked home invaders visited them and their reactions were recorded.

The stunt was put together by actor/executive producer Madelaine Petsch and producer Courtney Solomon. You can watch how it played out below.

Soloman was recently interviewed by iHorror and attempted to clear up some questions about how this trilogy fits into the Strangers universe:

“The one thing that seems to register confusion amongst the OG ‘The Strangers‘ fans is that we remade the movie, or that it’s a prequel. Not really. What we did is we took the DNA of the original setup, and wanted to use that because you really can’t do better for a setup, we’re using that as the jumping-off point. Our characters are different. Our scares and our beats are very different. It’s all setting up a bigger story. You’re following these characters, and you will really get to know the protagonist and antagonist, and as they go through, it’s like they almost know each other.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1

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New ‘Insidious’ Movie Scheduled For August 2025 Release Date

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Get ready for another chapter in the Insidious universe. Variety confirms today that another movie is in the works and it could be in theaters as early as August 2025.

Unfortunately, the cast has not been revealed, nor how this entry will fit into the series overall. That means series regulars Patrick Wilson, Leigh Whannel and Lin Shaye haven’t been confirmed as returning actors.

Variety also stated that this isn’t the spinoff Thread: An Insidious Tale, starring Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani that Deadline announced in 2023. They also point out if this newly announced title releases before Thread, it would be the sixth chapter in the franchise.

Insidious: The Red Door

Insidious has been a hot property for Blumhouse. Initially created by James Wan, the movies have done very well at the box office. Although the last one, Red Door got mixed reviews, it managed to rake in $189 million worldwide, a hefty haul considering the film only cost $16 million to make.

Jason Blum is cited as saying after Red Door the series would take an extended break, “It may not be a forever rest, but it’s certainly going to be a very long rest. … There’s not a plan — as there has been with every prior ‘Insidious’ movie — there’s no current plan in place for number six.”

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New Jason Universe to Spin Friday the 13th Franchise Into Many Directions

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The entertainment site IGN has confirmed today that Jason Voorhees isn’t dead. It reports that Horror, Inc. is behind the launch of Jason Universe a Friday the 13th-based outlet that will, “span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more…” with more announcements to be made about the project coming this year.

Robert Barsamian, President of Horror, Inc., said in a statement to IGN, “For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We’re excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we’ll announce in the coming months.”

For those following the Friday the 13th rights courtroom drama, Miller wrote the first film and was granted full control over those rights, but director Sean S. Cunningham owns Jason as an intellectual property (read hockey mask) since, plot twist, he wasn’t the killer in the original. Notably, Miller is not a part of Horror, Inc. Also, curiously a hockey mask is used as a part of the Horror, Inc. logo.

Robert Barsamian has a history with the franchise, having funded the first film and a few of its sequels. He is also an executive producer of Crystal Lake in production at Peacock for A24 and funded the making of Friday the 13th: The Game.

Bryan Fuller was a part of the team for the Peacock spin-off but left the project because, as he posted on Instagram, “A24 has elected to go a different way with the material.” his ambiguous statement had some fans wondering if Crystal Lake would shirk its simple slasher rep to become a more “elevated” experience.

However, Barsamian says it can be both, “We’re focused on honoring the legacy while elevating the fan experience and appealing to today’s horror audiences as we develop new ways to watch, interact and engage with the Jason Universe.”

Sheri Conn, Global GM of Horror, Inc, says Jason has been a pop culture icon for over 40 years thanks to movies and video games, “We can’t wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans.”

If you want to follow what Horror Inc. has in store for our beloved Jason you can follow them at the official Jason Universe website.

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