‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLegendary Entertainment, the production company that co-financed Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong, may take legal action against Warner Bros. over the studio’s decision to send its movies to HBO Max at the same time they debut in cinemas.
Legendary financed a significant portion of Dune, which cost roughly $175 million, and Godzilla vs. Kong, which carries a price tag around $160 million. Yet the company was largely kept out of the loop that their films would be included in Warner Bros.’ plan to send 17 films — its entire 2021 slate — to the subscription streaming service and any open movie theatres.
Sources familiar with the situation say top brass at Legendary are trying to have conversations with Warner Bros. regarding its upcoming films. Legendary and Warner Bros. have frequently collaborated over the years on titles such as Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, The Hangover movies and the Godzilla franchise. Legendary is hoping to first negotiate a more generous deal, but isn’t taking legal action off the table should the two companies fail to come to a compromise. One possibility is that Warner Bros. would buy the films outright from Legendary. No legal challenge has been filed yet, but a suit could materialise early this week. It’s unclear what legal grounds Legendary would use to challenge the decision, though it would likely involve some breach of contract.
Image Credits: IMDb
