We wonder if it would get us in trouble with the laywers if we were to suggest that the US court system hates films.
That might be a bit strong, but first The Hobbit gets tied up in legal red tape and now the Superman franchise is in serious danger of falling from the sky, after a landmark case handed a share of the US copyright of the character to creator Jerry Seigel's heirs.
The good news for Warners? The copyright claim only covers elements of the character that appeared in Action Comics #1. The bad news? That includes the characters Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Oh, and the costume.
Which means that - pending an appeal by Warner Brothers - the studio could suddenly owe the Seigel family a large chunk of change from Superman Returns. We bet the executive who suggested they should change Clark Kent's name to 'Barry', Lois to 'Sally' and that Superman himself should wear a clown costume instead of a cape, is now looking pretty smug.
Sadly, if WB were wobbling on Man Of Steel and Justice League before, this news pretty much straps a Kryptonite bomb to both projects. We'll update you when the appeal results come in, but as it stands, Superman looks to be flying away from cinemas faster than a speeding bullet.
For more, go to Dark Horizons.
Source: ( Dark Horizons )
