CITY NEWS SERVICE
A Burbank-based studio doing a remake of the “Godzilla” film franchise filed suit Wednesday, asking a judge to determine whether it is bound by a prior agreement with two production companies to pay bonus fees and other compensation.
Legendary Picture Productions LLC brought the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Lin Pictures Inc. and its chief executive officer, Dan Lin, as well as Vertigo Entertainment Inc. and founder Roy Lee.
Legendary also is asking that a clause the studio says is in the agreement requiring arbitration of all disputes be enforced and that it have to pay no more than $25,000 to the defendants for their development services.
Representatives of Lin Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment could not be immediately reached.
According to the suit, Legendary is in pre-production on the first “Godzilla” film, which is scheduled for release next year. Legendary previously obtained all necessary rights from Japan-based Toho Co. Ltd. to produce and distribute the movie, the suit says.
Legendary, Lin Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment agreed in March 2011 that along with the $25,000 development fee, the defendants would receive bonus money if the movie was “produced substantially under the supervision” of the two companies, according to the suit.
However, late last year Legendary exercised its option to not let the two companies produce the film, the suit states. Lin Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment responded by threatening both to sue and to file for a restraining order preventing production of “Godzilla,” according to the complaint.
Lin Pictures produced the upcoming film “Gangster Squad.”
The monster Godzilla first appeared in a Japanese film by the same name in 1954. An American remake was released in 1998.