Is there any new info on Superman 2 : SE? (1 Viewer)

[Brian W.]

None out of prison, I don't think. Hmm, if you release an actor's work after his death when no agreement had been made on payment, can his kids sue for royalties he would have gotten had he been alive? Not sure how that works.

I know Bing Crosby's widow is suing Universal Music for a few million in unpaid royalties since 1947, because they'd been paying at a lower percentage under the terms of a 1947 contract which Katherine claims he never signed. So probably.

 

[Damin J Toell]

When Brando passes, he will most certainly have an estate that will still exercise control over things like the use of footage for which he was owed money. Whether future executors of his estate have a different mindset about these sort of matters is pure speculation and is rather far off at that, but it is quite likely that the Superman II footage will remain unseen in perpetuity. Suffice it to say that Brando's death will not suddenly unlock a key to everything everybody ever wanted from him.
DJ

 

[Jeff Kleist]

If he has living heirs, felons or not (and probably ESPECIALLY felons) will want Daddy's cut

 

[Brian W.]

Here, I'll make this a new post, since you guys beat me to my addition.

I also know from friends who work for Disney that the A.A. Milne estate was in a long, drawn-out lawsuit with company over royalties for Winnie the Pooh. I forgot the details, but Disney claimed they didn't have to pay royalties for some particular aspect of the Pooh franchise, toys or home video or something, and that that had been made clear in an old contract. But they couldn't find the contract -- they looked and looked and if it ever existed, it had disappeared.

Bummer for Disney, man. I don't know if the lawsuit was ever settled or not.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Bummer for Disney, man. I don't know if the lawsuit was ever settled or not.

It's still ongoing. As reported yesterday, an accountant has been appointed to review Disney's books to see if they have been hiding royalties. No lost contract is involved, only an accusation of misstatement of earnings and non-payment of royalties under a known and existing contract. And, I'm quite sure that Brando and the Salkinds (and/or Warner and/or whoever else was a party to the agreement) have a contract that isn't "lost" by any means. And, yes, depending on the terms of the contract, it's more than a mere probability that Warner (and/or whoever else) would have to pay Brando's estate according to the terms of the contract (or whatever settlement the parties arrive at) should Brando pass on.
DJ

 

[Brian W.]

. And, I'm quite sure that Brando and the Salkinds (and/or Warner and/or whoever else was a party to the agreement) have a contract that isn't "lost" by any means.

Never said they did.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Disney has offered to buy Pooh outright as per their usual practices

 

[Dharmesh C]

Actually, Donner reneged on it, and said that he'd do it if WB let him, and that he'd like to do it WITH Lester

Where did you get this from? Recutting the film with Lester would never work. I think having the scenes in a supplementary section is the way to go. I hope Donner considers this idea, as it's the best way to do it...I think so anyway

 

[Mike_Richardson]

Isn't the lawsuit still ON-GOING between the company that represents the Salkinds (Pueblo Film Licensing) and Warner Bros.? They wanted the DVD recalled as Warner restored the movie without their permission, etc.

I highly doubt we're going to be seeing any future releases of SUPERMAN I-III on DVD for a long while, or at least until this suit is settled.

That said, you can see the Sp. Edition of SUPERMAN III on TV all the time, and SUPERMAN II is readily available as a bootleg tape (try the German TV version, it runs something like 10 minutes LONGER than the ABC broadcast version!).

 

[Dharmesh C]

The Austrailian/International versio is the longest, all details on my site.

The suite is on-going, which explains the lack of S4 DVD in foreign terrorities. Superman 3 is available in some countries eg Denmark.

 

[DaveBB]

I know this sounds morbid; but maybe we'll have to wait for one or more of the "problem" parties to pass away to get a Special Edition.