So here’s a tip: just because Christopher Nolan doesn’t plan on making anymore Batman movies doesn’t mean that can start making your own Dark Knight sequel.
That should be obvious, but apparently an unknown concept to little-known company Award Pictures (so little known it doesn’t even have an IMDb company page and has a website straight out of 1996), which has been working on Evil Dead 4: Consequences. Nevermind the fact that writer/producer/director Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert and actor/producer Bruce Campbell of the 1981 original have nothing to do with this (and are in fact producing the 2013 remake, which just finished filming), Award Pictures doesn’t have the rights to make a sequel. However, according to Award Pictures, Raimi and his company Renaissance Pictures abandoned the rights to make a sequel because Raimi said in an interview published in 2000 that he would never make an Evil Dead 4. So, Award Pictures believes the trademark was up for grabs.
I hate to tell Award Pictures the truth, so I’ll let Boromir do it:
Raimi and Renaissance Pictures filed suit to stop production in May, and after Award Pictures and its president Glenn MacCrae failed to respond to it the judge dismissed any claim MacCrae had to the franchise. However, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter MacCrae claims that the costs of Renaissance’s lawsuit prevented the company from hiring a lawyer and led to the termination of a (supposedly) multimillion dollar financing from Anchor Bay. However, Awards Pictures has now hired a lawyer to contest the ruling. I doubt this will turn out well for them.
That’s too bad, because I’d love to have seen how a no-budget film production company could produce the following movie (as from the website):
In 1912 an archeologist, Dr. Ashley, receives ancient cuneiform texts that take him on a journey across the world, through time, and to countless horrors, that ultimately reveal the origin of the awful book of evil, The Necronomicon.
Doesn’t sound half bad, actually, but I’m not sure how MacCrae ever thought he’d be able to get away with it. At least the filmmakers behind Raging Bull 2 (Now The Bronx Bull) got Jake LaMotta on their side…
Either way, the Evil Dead remake, which is being produced by Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert by a script co-written by Raimi, is set for a release next April
Anyway, I’m off to start making Lethal Weapon 5 with my friends. Why not? Mel Gibson said it isn’t going to happen!
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