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This is a problem the CAA-repped McCarten and his Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP attorneys want to see solved with “monetary damages in an amount to be proven at trial,” a full accounting of the movie, and “a judicial declaration of the parties’ contractual rights and duties in connection with the Writer’s Agreement…By this Action, McCarten seeks to hold GK Films to its promise in the Writer’s Agreement,” says the 50-page filing Wednesday in LA Superior Court, citing the first of three deals the scribe struck with production company WAGW, Inc in 2015 for an “amount equal to 5% of 100% of the ‘Net Proceeds'” ( read it here).įox boarded the Queen biopic in 2016, and the studio is insisting McCarten is only due any profits via their “’Defined Net Proceeds’ definition, rather than GK Films’ standard ‘Net Proceeds’ definition, as modified through good faith negotiation. NBC's 'Christmas In Rockefeller Center' Wins Wednesday Viewers, Ties With 'The Masked Singer' & 'Survivor' In Demo McCarten maintains that the deal accounting definitions changed and he has not been paid a cent from his backend deal and that King has been unresponsive to his appeals to get paid. Eventually, King turned over all of those deals to Fox and now Disney.
The reason for this is, McCarten’s suit maintains he made a deal directly with King to receive 5% of GK’s take. The legal action is a bit twisty, because the producer King and his GK Films are named, but not Fox or Disney, which acquired the studio and holds Bohemian Rhapsody in its vast library. The $55 million budget film grossed $911 million worldwide, and yet according to accounting statements issued by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Bohemian Rhapsody is in the red, to the tune of $51 million.
The lawsuit hit today and shows a fascinating peek behind the curtain into what happens when participants rely on studio net point deals. EXCLUSIVE: Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten has filed a breach of contract suit against Graham King and his GK Films for money owed on the 2018 Best Picture-nominated film about Queen and its iconic singer Freddie Mercury.