Tag: Spiderman

Stan Lee, Marvel sued for $750 Million

Shareholders of a failed venture by Marvel icon, Stan Lee, are seeking more than $750 million from profits from films based on Marvel characters.   The lawsuit, filed Monday in a Manhattan federal court by four shareholders of Stan Lee Media Inc, is aimed at reclaiming money for all the shareholders in the company.   Defendants named in the lawsuit include Lee, his wife, Marvel Entertainment Inc., and  former Marvel chief executive officer Avi Arad.

The lawsuit claims profits from Lee’s comic creations belong to the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2006. The suit claims Lee, Marvel and others have violated Stan Lee Media’s copyright interests and that the firm is due profits from all properties, including blockbuster films that were made after 1998 and based on Lee’s creations.

The lawsuit’s allegations were immediately rebuffed, with Marvel issuing a statement that said the lawsuit is filled with “ridiculous claims.”

Lee’s attorney, Mark W. Williams, said: “We look forward to a positive resolution for Stan Lee and his family.”

Marvel also claimed the lawsuit features claims that have been pursued in previous cases.

“It’s a very different lawsuit,” Martin Garbus, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said. “It’s different money.”

He said he suspects that Lee, who once sued Marvel over profits from his creations, entered into an agreement that deprived Stan Lee Media of the windfall from blockbuster movies such as the ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘X-Men’ trilogies.

“He made a deal,” Garbus said of Lee’s confidential settlement that led to his reconciliation with Marvel. “That money should have gone to the corporation.”

Lee helped found Stan Lee Media, an online comic site in the late 1990s, but the company went into bankruptcy in 2001 and several of its officers were arrested and accused of manipulating its stock price.

Lee was never implicated in the scheme, but the company’s meltdown has sparked court actions in New York, Colorado and Los Angeles.

In 2007, Lee sued Stan Lee Media for copyright infringement, cybersquatting, defamation and other claims. In a document filed last year, Lee’s lawyers denied he gave the company copyright interests in characters he created during his Marvel career.

Source: Variety

‘Spider-Man’ Spin-Off Will Focus on ‘Venom’

Sony is moving forward with “Venom,” a potential “Spider-Man” spin-off based on the comic book villain. The studio is developing the project, and is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging “Spider-Man” franchise in the way that Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its “X-Men” franchise.

But getting any spin-off off the ground, let alone one centered on a villain, can be tricky. The studio had commissioned a draft of the script from Jacob Estes, a writer of the specialty film “Mean Creek,” released several years ago by Paramount Classics. But the studio is considering going in a different direction from Estes’ script and is seeking writers for a new draft. Casting also is no simple matter. Topher Grace played the character in the film, but agents have been eyeing the role for their clients, as Sony is not yet convinced the actor can carry a tent-pole picture. In “Spider-Man 3,” Venom is essentially a parasite that attaches itself to a host via a sticky substance that then gives the host special powers. The fact that it is a substance rather than a character could give Sony leeway to cast a new actor. “Venom” came about as part of the licensing deal between Marvel and Sony for the Spider-Man movies, which contained provisions allowing for the use of spin-offs based on other Spider-Man characters. Sony is developing a fourth “Spider-Man” film for 2011, but that picture would come out nine years after the original movie debuted, adding to the studio’s desire to see new Marvel characters.

What! Are you serious? I think they are actually bringing Topher Grace back to do this film. I know they introduced him in Spiderman 3 but Grace cannot be a leading man! I enjoyed Topher on That 70’s Show but he really needs to stay away from this project, I would think that the fans would be a little angry!

What do you guys think?

‘Spider-Man 4’ Set for 2011

Whats up up with this? I thought they were not going to make anymore of these Spidey movies.

“Spider-Man” producer Laura Ziskin revealed that the fourth installment in the “Spider-Man” series is tentatively scheduled to arrive in May 2011. [via LA Times]

In remarks Thursday to theater owners from California and Nevada, Ziskin said there was no finished screenplay, but that she and Sony Pictures were hopeful “Spider-Man 4” could be ready in three years’ time.

The first three movies comprise one of the most successful franchises in modern Hollywood history, grossing a combined $2.5 billion worldwide. Neither star Tobey Maguire nor director Sam Raimi is yet committed to work on the next installment. But Sony has paid Marvel to renew its rights.