Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 10:13:23 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Tolkien Heirs Sue Rings Studio Over Profits

Posted Feb 12, 08 5:51 AM CST in Business,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Heirs of author JRR Tolkien and publisher HarperCollins are suing the studio that made the Lord of the Rings films, claiming New Line Cinema cheated them out of $150 million in profit participation, Variety reports. The Tolkien Trust, a charity set up by the author's children, is also seeking a decision by a Los Angeles court allowing it to halt any further New Line adaptations of the author's works, including the The Hobbit, which is scheduled to be produced by Peter Jackson for New Line.

The three Rings films raked in nearly $6 billion worldwide but the trust and HarperCollins say they have received nothing. "I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue that these films could gross literally billions of dollars, and yet the creator's heirs don't get a penny," said one of the trust's lawyers. The complaint says the trust is entitled to 7.5% of gross profits under a 1969 agreement with United Artists passed along to New Line.

Source Variety

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Lawyers to OJ Publisher: See You in Court

    Mar 4, 08 3:00 PM CST
    Lawyers to OJ Publisher: See You in Court Foiled If I Did It publisher Judith Regan's lawyers say she didn't do it—cough up their agreed-upon payment, that is. And they want their money, Reuters reports. The lawyers represented Regan in her case against News Corp., which canned her in the uproar surrounding the OJ Simpson confessional. She then sued the media giant for defamation and breach of contract. More »

  • Warners Swallows New Line

    Feb 29, 08 3:06 AM CST
    Warners Swallows New Line New Line Cinema, the studio that created the Lord of the Rings blockbuster franchise, will be folded into the Warner Brothers unit of Time Warner, reports the Los Angeles Times. It's a cost-cutting move and part of a trend that has seen DreamWorks swallowed by Viacom, and Miramax downsized by Disney. Founder Bob Shaye will leave the company. More »

  • Jackson to Helm Hobbit

    Dec 18, 07 5:46 PM CST
    Jackson to Helm Hobbit Peter Jackson has resolved his lawsuit with New Line and plans to helm two much-hyped Hobbit films, the first due out in 2010, according to an Entertainment Weekly interview with MGM chief Harry Sloan. Jackson will co-write and may direct one or both films—unless he and New Line's Bob Shaye pick someone else. "I don’t want to tell you what’s legally in the contract, but we wouldn’t" hire an outside director. More »

  • Axed OJ Book Publisher Sues News Corp. for $100M

    Nov 14, 07 4:56 AM CST
    Axed OJ Book Publisher Sues News Corp. for $100M Axed publisher Judith Regan has filed a $100 million lawsuit against News Corp., charging the company made her the target of a smear campaign and fired her because she had information damaging to Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. "The smear campaign was necessary to advance News Corp.'s political agenda," she said. Regan was dumped after she championed a controversial book featuring OJ Simpson's almost-murder confession. More »

  • New Line: Lord of the Rings or Last Action Hero?

    Aug 11, 07 12:01 PM CDT
    The movie business' sepia-haired stepchild New Line Cinema fired its chief marketing officer this week—signaling that execs are blistering for fundamental change. After 40 years, New Line has lost its cutting-edge credibility to the Indies, and is ranked dead last in box-office revenue among the majors, the LA Times reports. More »

This is a 1967 photo of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings" and an Oxford University Professor. The estate of Tolkien is suing New Line Cinema, the studio that released the trilogy based...   (Associated Press)
Director Peter Jackson arrives at the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards, in this Jan. 16, 2006, file photo in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's...   (Associated Press)
This photo released by New Line Productions shows actors, from left, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Billy Boyd as Pippin and Sean Astin as Sam in a scene from New Line Cinema's "The...   (Associated Press)
A scene from Lord of the Rings. The producers of the trilogy, New Line Cinema, is being sued by the Tolkien Trust.   (KRT Photos)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

lawsuit • HarperCollins • New Line Cinema • Lord of the Rings


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »