A New York judge rejected several pre-trial motions in a $50 million lawsuit filed by the filmmakers behind a still-unreleased animated film, Escape From Planet Earth against the Weinstein Company, paving the way for the case to go to trial. TWC and its fellow defendants had attempted to have the claims — that the companies violated their contract with the filmmakers and “sabotaged” the release of their own movie with “Bialystock & Bloom” financial shenanigans — dismissed or at least moved to a California court. But New York State Judge Paul Feinman denied their motions — as well as one from the plaintiff requesting that...
- 10/6/2011
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Producer says his failure to buy Us film rights to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy was a 'big bloody mistake'
The King's Speech producer Harvey Weinstein has told Newsweek his "favourite mistake" in Hollywood was failing to buy the Us film rights to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.
David Fincher is currently adapting the bestselling novels for the big screen following the success of earlier Swedish versions. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara will star as campaigning journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander.
"Everything about it in my gut said, 'Do this'," Weinstein said. "But my team said, 'No, we should focus on bigger movies' ... I didn't listen to my very significant gut ... And that was a big bloody mistake."
Meanwhile, Weinstein and his brother Bob, who together head the Weinstein Company, are being sued for $50m by two animated film-makers who claim they botched the release of CGI movie...
The King's Speech producer Harvey Weinstein has told Newsweek his "favourite mistake" in Hollywood was failing to buy the Us film rights to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.
David Fincher is currently adapting the bestselling novels for the big screen following the success of earlier Swedish versions. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara will star as campaigning journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander.
"Everything about it in my gut said, 'Do this'," Weinstein said. "But my team said, 'No, we should focus on bigger movies' ... I didn't listen to my very significant gut ... And that was a big bloody mistake."
Meanwhile, Weinstein and his brother Bob, who together head the Weinstein Company, are being sued for $50m by two animated film-makers who claim they botched the release of CGI movie...
- 3/7/2011
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Two Major movie executives were so against putting Kevin Bacon in one of their flicks ... they paid the actor $25,000 so he would go away ... so says a new lawsuit. It's just one of the allegations made by the director and a producer of the animated flick " Escape from Planet Earth " ... a movie about aliens escaping from Area 51 ... which was supposed to be made by The Weinstein Company. The movie was never completed. According to the lawsuit,...
- 3/4/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Tony Leech, the co-director and co-writer of 2005′s Hoodwinked!, is claiming Harvey and Bob Weinstein sabotaged the delayed comedy Escape from Planet Earth “through a potent combination of hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations.” A $50 million lawsuit, which labels both brothers “out-of-control movie executives” who “are a real-life version of Bialystock & Bloom (from the film and show The Producers), claims that the Weinsteins oversold potential profits from the film, leading to Planet Earth’s delay. (The film was originally slated for a 2009 release.)
Leech also alleges in the $50 million lawsuit that Weinstein Co., paid him and fellow...
Leech also alleges in the $50 million lawsuit that Weinstein Co., paid him and fellow...
- 3/3/2011
- by Kate Ward
- EW - Inside Movies
Movie bosses Bob and Harvey Weinstein have been sued for million over claims that they "sabotaged" a film that could have made profitable if it were not for the two "out-of-control" movie executives. Tony Leech and Brian Inerfeld of Protocol Pictures allege that they were also removed from the animated film "Escape From Planet Earth" by the brothers.
The million lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court and obtained by Deadline.com, states that after making the film suffer due to the Weinsteins' "hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations."
The plaintiff also said that they fired about they refused to the Weinsteins' demands that they reduce their entitlement to share in the profits of the film project.
To prove their point, Leech and Inerfeld cited an incident when the Weinsteins paid them 0,000 to delay the filing of their suit and to agree to their request for...
The million lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court and obtained by Deadline.com, states that after making the film suffer due to the Weinsteins' "hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations."
The plaintiff also said that they fired about they refused to the Weinsteins' demands that they reduce their entitlement to share in the profits of the film project.
To prove their point, Leech and Inerfeld cited an incident when the Weinsteins paid them 0,000 to delay the filing of their suit and to agree to their request for...
- 3/3/2011
- icelebz.com
Hollywood moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein have been accused of sabotaging a failed movie in a new $50 million (£33 million) lawsuit - and paying its makers to keep the matter quiet ahead of this year's Academy Awards.
Filmmaker Tony Leech and producer Brian Inerfeld are suing the Weinstein Company over claims their animated movie Escape From Planet Earth was "sabotaged... through a potent combination of hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations".
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, the duo is also accused of paying the plaintiffs $500,000 (£333,000) to wait until after the Oscars on Sunday to take legal action.
The King's Speech, which was distributed by the Weinsteins' firm, ruled the ceremony after scooping four Oscars, including Best Picture.
According to the suit, the Weinsteins allege the $500,000 payment was extorted, which Leech and Inerfeld deny.
Lawyers for the Weinsteins have dismissed the case as "frivolous" and "slanderous", claiming the filmmakers were "let go after they refused to make the picture which TWC wanted" and were paid more than $2 million (£1.3 million) in accordance with their contract.
Filmmaker Tony Leech and producer Brian Inerfeld are suing the Weinstein Company over claims their animated movie Escape From Planet Earth was "sabotaged... through a potent combination of hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations".
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, the duo is also accused of paying the plaintiffs $500,000 (£333,000) to wait until after the Oscars on Sunday to take legal action.
The King's Speech, which was distributed by the Weinsteins' firm, ruled the ceremony after scooping four Oscars, including Best Picture.
According to the suit, the Weinsteins allege the $500,000 payment was extorted, which Leech and Inerfeld deny.
Lawyers for the Weinsteins have dismissed the case as "frivolous" and "slanderous", claiming the filmmakers were "let go after they refused to make the picture which TWC wanted" and were paid more than $2 million (£1.3 million) in accordance with their contract.
- 3/3/2011
- WENN
You hear stories of bizarre Hollywood lawsuits every single day. If there's one thing people in Hollywood like to do more than sleeping, eating, doing drugs and having sex, it's suing other people in Hollywood for millions of dollars. Some of the lawsuits make no sense, and most decisions are pretty obvious right off the bat. But whenever Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob are involved, the crazier the story, the closer it is to being true. Apparently, the Weinstein bros. paid $500,000 in hush money so that information regarding a pending lawsuit against animation filmmakers Brian Inerfeld and Tony Leech would not leak out prior to the Oscars. The King's Speech was a heavy favorite, and they didn't want bad buzz heading in -- but now that buzz is beginning to spill out, we've...
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- 3/3/2011
- by Movies.com
- Movies.com - Celebrity Gossip
Protocol Pictures partners Tony Leech and Brian Inerfeld filed a 60-page legal claim today against The Weinstein Company in New York State Supreme Court. The $50 million suit is over their removal from the animated film Escape From Planet Earth, and it is a colorful document containing a litany of volatile charges ranging from the assertion that Harvey and Bob Weinstein were out of control, and tried to hush up the plaintiffs by giving them $500,000 to keep quiet the complaint until the Oscars were over. Most of these kinds of battles get settled in arbitration, but you can read the entire complaint here: The Weinsteins, who are in a dispute with Michael Moore over profits he said he's owed on Farhenheit 9/11, were quick to hit back in the stereo effect of two high-powered attorneys. Said Bert Fields of Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger Llp: "This is a completely frivolous lawsuit. The...
- 3/2/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Fresh off Oscar wins for "The King's Speech," Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein were hit with a $50 million lawsuit on Wednesday claiming they sabotaged production of a troubled animated film. Filmmaker Tony Leech, a co-director and co-writer of the 2005 animated hit "Hoodwinked!" which was distributed by The Weinstein Co., filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court over the much-delayed action-comedy, "Escape From Planet Earth." He was joined by producer Brian Inerfeld and his company Protocol Pictures. The lawsuit claims the film was "sabotaged...through a potent combination of hubris, incompetence, profligate spending, and contempt for contractual obligations." Calling the brothers "out-of-control movie executives," the lawsuit depicted Harvey and Bob Weinstein as "a real-life version of Bialystock & Bloom," the bumbling characters from the Mel Brooks satire "The Producers." The Weinstein Co.'s lawyers fired back, dismissing the suit as "frivolous" and rife with "slanderous" and "irrelevant" personal attacks. They...
- 3/2/2011
- Filmicafe
Ed Jones, an executive producer on feature animation Oscar winner Happy Feet, has joined Rainmaker Animation to produce Escape From Planet Earth. The Weinstein Co. is financing the comedy and will handle worldwide distribution.
Additionally, Steve Nichols has joined Rainmaker as animation director.
The film marks the first theatrical animated feature for Rainmaker. Production began last week at the company's Vancouver facility; voice talent has not yet been cast.
Earth is helmed by Tony Leech and written by Leech and Cory Edwards. Producing with Jones are Preston Stutzman of Blue Yonder Films, Jonathan Shestack of Jon Shestack Prods., Brian Inerfeld of Protocol and Gregory R. Little of Rainmaker Animation. Rick Mischel is executive producer, and Jeremy Stein will co-produce. Weinstein Co. co-president of production Michael Cole and vp production and development Eric Robinson are overseeing the project on behalf of the company.
Earth, an original idea by Leech, is a comedy about an alien prison break from Area 51.
Additionally, Steve Nichols has joined Rainmaker as animation director.
The film marks the first theatrical animated feature for Rainmaker. Production began last week at the company's Vancouver facility; voice talent has not yet been cast.
Earth is helmed by Tony Leech and written by Leech and Cory Edwards. Producing with Jones are Preston Stutzman of Blue Yonder Films, Jonathan Shestack of Jon Shestack Prods., Brian Inerfeld of Protocol and Gregory R. Little of Rainmaker Animation. Rick Mischel is executive producer, and Jeremy Stein will co-produce. Weinstein Co. co-president of production Michael Cole and vp production and development Eric Robinson are overseeing the project on behalf of the company.
Earth, an original idea by Leech, is a comedy about an alien prison break from Area 51.
- 5/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As it continues to develop titles for the family audience, the Weinstein Co. has acquired rights to Escape From Planet Earth, a CG-animated comedy feature pitch to be written by Tony Leech and Cory Edwards, the team behind the Weinstein Co.'s animated release Hoodwinked. Leech is set to direct the project, and Preston Stutzman of Blue Yonder Films will produce it along with Jonathan Shestack (Air Force One), Brian Inerfeld and also Gregory R. Little of the animation studio Mainframe Entertainment. Jeremy Stein of Jon Shestack Prods. will co-produce. Escape, an original idea by Leech, is a comedy about a prison break from Area 51, a mysterious government facility where the inmates are a ragtag group of imprisoned aliens from around the universe.
- 2/14/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Susan Sarandon is joining the cast of New Line Cinema's Mr. Woodcock. Craig Gillespie is helming the comedy, and Bob Cooper is producing via his Landscape Pictures. The script centers on a young man Seann William Scott) who returns to his hometown to stop his mother (Sarandon) from marrying his old high school gym teacher, who made life a living hell for him and many of his classmates. Billy Bob Thornton plays the gym teacher. Brian Inerfeld and Karen Lunder are serving as co-producers. At the studio, executives Kent Alterman, Michele Weiss and Keith Goldberg are overseeing. Sarandon, repped by ICM, will be seen in the upcoming Cameron Crowe film Elizabethtown and recently appeared in Alfie. She won an Oscar for her performance in 1995's Dead Man Walking.
- 2/22/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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