Post by mysterydriver on Feb 22, 2012 13:36:31 GMT -5
Paramount sues Mario Puzo family for publishing new ‘Godfather’ book without studio’s permission
by Daniel S Levine
Paramount Pictures, which released all three of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather films, is suing the estate of Mario Puzo, the author of the original 1969 novel, for publishing another book based on the franchise's characters without getting the studio’s permission.
According to Reuters, Paramount filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, claiming that the Puzo family’s plan to publish a prequel novel called The Family Corleone violates a 2002 agreement Paramount made with the family to publish a sequel novel. In 2004, Mark Winegardner’s The Godfather Returns was published, but the Puzo family violated the deal in 2006 by publishing another sequel in 2006 called The Godfather’s Revenge. The Puzo estate plans on publishing The Family Corleone in May.
Paramount has had enough, saying in its lawsuit that The Godfather’s Revenge hurt the reputation of the franchise. “Far from properly honoring the legacy of The Godfather, the unauthorized The Godfather's Revenge tarnished it,” the studio said in the lawsuit, according to The New York Post. Paramount adds that, “...In the process, also misled consumers into believing that The Godfather's Revenge was authorized by Paramount, or otherwise affiliated or connected to The Godfather and Paramount's Godfather franchise.”
The Puzo estate’s lawyer, Bertram Fields, claims that he gave Paramount plenty of warning about The Family Corleone, calling Paramount’s lawsuit a “sneak attack,” reports Bloomberg. “For Paramount to do this to Mario Puzo’s children after the tens of millions of dollars he made for the studio is outrageous,” he told Bloomberg, adding that the studio should be “ashamed.”
This is just the latest lawsuit related to The Godfather franchise. The New York Post notes that in 2006, Paramount sued the Puzo estate for $1 million from the profits of The Godfather: The Video Game, which features the voices of original actors Robert Duvall and James Caan. The suit was settled out of court. Prior to Puzo’s death in 1999, he also sued Paramount for unpaid royalties.
The original The Godfather has sold over 21 million copies since it was published, noted the Post. Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II won the 1972 and 1974 Best Picture Oscars, respectively. The third film was released in 1990 and was also nominated for Best Picture.
If it gets published...I might just check it out.
by Daniel S Levine
Paramount Pictures, which released all three of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather films, is suing the estate of Mario Puzo, the author of the original 1969 novel, for publishing another book based on the franchise's characters without getting the studio’s permission.
According to Reuters, Paramount filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, claiming that the Puzo family’s plan to publish a prequel novel called The Family Corleone violates a 2002 agreement Paramount made with the family to publish a sequel novel. In 2004, Mark Winegardner’s The Godfather Returns was published, but the Puzo family violated the deal in 2006 by publishing another sequel in 2006 called The Godfather’s Revenge. The Puzo estate plans on publishing The Family Corleone in May.
Paramount has had enough, saying in its lawsuit that The Godfather’s Revenge hurt the reputation of the franchise. “Far from properly honoring the legacy of The Godfather, the unauthorized The Godfather's Revenge tarnished it,” the studio said in the lawsuit, according to The New York Post. Paramount adds that, “...In the process, also misled consumers into believing that The Godfather's Revenge was authorized by Paramount, or otherwise affiliated or connected to The Godfather and Paramount's Godfather franchise.”
The Puzo estate’s lawyer, Bertram Fields, claims that he gave Paramount plenty of warning about The Family Corleone, calling Paramount’s lawsuit a “sneak attack,” reports Bloomberg. “For Paramount to do this to Mario Puzo’s children after the tens of millions of dollars he made for the studio is outrageous,” he told Bloomberg, adding that the studio should be “ashamed.”
This is just the latest lawsuit related to The Godfather franchise. The New York Post notes that in 2006, Paramount sued the Puzo estate for $1 million from the profits of The Godfather: The Video Game, which features the voices of original actors Robert Duvall and James Caan. The suit was settled out of court. Prior to Puzo’s death in 1999, he also sued Paramount for unpaid royalties.
The original The Godfather has sold over 21 million copies since it was published, noted the Post. Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II won the 1972 and 1974 Best Picture Oscars, respectively. The third film was released in 1990 and was also nominated for Best Picture.
If it gets published...I might just check it out.
