Brothers Jim and John Thomas, the couple who wrote John McTiernan’s iconic 1987 science-fiction action classic “Predator,” have filed a lawsuit against Disney.
THR Esq reports that they are trying to regain the rights to the franchise, but Disney’s 20th Century Studios unit has backtracked and filed its own lawsuit against the brothers with the intent to retain rights.
In essence, the Thomas Brothers are taking advantage of the termination clause of copyright, which allows writers to cancel transfers after waiting a period of time – usually 35 years for newer works.
According to the complaint, the effective termination date for their script is this Saturday (April 17) and the couple say they served a termination notice in 2016 and did not hear any objection until January 2021.
It was then that the studio’s lawyers contacted Thomas’ kidnappers who disputed the notice of termination as untimely. Their argument is allegedly based on a theory that the awarding of the ‘Predator’ screenplay from 1986 allegedly qualifies for the special, delayed termination window ‘normally’ intended for ‘publications’.
The Thomas brothers responded with alternative termination notices with later effective termination dates that Disney did not satisfy. Therefore, explanation is currently being sought.
On the latest report, Disney saw a reload with Dan Trachtenberg, director of “10 Cloverfield Lane”, at the helm.