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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?

Image result for it pennywise
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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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