History Main / ContractualObligationProject

* Creator/EdwardNorton made it clear that his participation in ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' is a result of contractual obligation, not choice. He signed a three movie deal with Paramount, of which ''Film/PrimalFear'', his breakthrough movie, was the first. He kept dismissing scripts for the other two, until Paramount coerced him into accepting a role in this film. Norton did not hide his misery on the set, clashing with the crew throughout it, and when the producer handed out gifts to the cast over the movie's surprisingly strong box office performance, Norton returned the gift with a note stating "Give this to someone you actually like--or someone who actually likes you." He also wasn't happy at how the conditions of the deal meant that he was paid a fraction of what he'd have earned on any other film at that time in his career.

* Creator/EdwardNorton only appeared in ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' because he needed to finish a three-picture deal with Creator/{{Paramount}}. He especially wasn't happy at how the conditions of the deal meant that he was paid a fraction of what he'd have earned on any other film at that time in his career.

* Creator/EdwardNorton made it clear that his participation in ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' is a result of contractual obligation, not choice. He signed a three movie deal with Paramount, of which ''Film/PrimalFear'', his breakthrough movie, was the first. He kept dismissing scripts for the other two, until Paramount coerced him into accepting a role in this film. Norton did not hide his misery on the set, clashing with the crew throughout it, and when the producer handed out gifts to the cast over the movie's surprisingly strong box office performance, Norton returned the gift with a note stating "Give this to someone you actually like--or someone who actually likes you."

* ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'' is an example due to Mike Myers and Bo Welch being forced under threat of a lawsuit to work on the movie.

* Creator/EmilyBlunt had to star in ''Gulliver's Travels'' as a result of starring in ''Film/TheDevilWearsPrada''. Because of the scheduling conflict, she had to turn down the role of Black Widow in ''Film/IronMan2''.

For a creator involved in a contractual obligation project, the ''obligation'' aspect looms over everything. A typical example is when there's a final project left in a long-term agreement between parties whose relationship has soured. [[CreatorsApathy The enthusiasm for this last project may be low]] since at least one party just wants to get it over with and end the deal. Other times, the Contractual Obligation Project may be one creators will do [[OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt just so they can get to do another more enticing project that's also part of the deal.]] This does not mean, however, a Contractual Obligation Project is all but guaranteed of being a dud. There are times when, in spite of everything, the final product will end up being [[SleeperHit financially successful, award-winning,]] and [[MagnumOpusDissonance well-regarded]].

* Creator/SamRaimi was obligated to make ''Film/SpiderMan3'' and adding ComicBook/{{Venom}} as the main antagonist, in which he stated that character doesn't like it as well the addition of Gwen Stacey to the film, when originally the main antagonist were only Sandman and Harry Osborn as the new ComicBook/GreenGoblin. Venom and Gwen were added by petition of Avi Arad and the producers (much like an contractual obligation), making this movie messy and the reason why it's the lowest point of first Spider-Man trilogy. After those problems, Raimi left the studios, so the reboot ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' was made later.

* Creator/ChanningTatum's appearances in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' and ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' were the result of a deal he made with Paramount and the studio threatened him with a lawsuit if he didn't honor the agreement. He picked the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' franchise in the hopes that it would be a fun experience but [[CreatorBacklash has had very few nice things to say about the film]] once he was no longer obligated to promote them.
* Creator/JamieLeeCurtis was forced to star in ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' - a critically savaged sequel to ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater''. The promotional team also circulated a lie that Jamie had only meant to have a 30-second cameo but "liked the script so much" she had her role expanded.

* For nearly 20 years, Creator/WaltDisney had a distribution deal with RKO. By the early-1950s, RKO was crumbling under the erratic leadership of Creator/HowardHughes. In 1953, Disney had formed his own distribution company, Buena Vista, but was still obligated to deliver one more film to Hughes. As a result, Disney compiled segments from his earlier animated anthologies ''Disney/MakeMineMusic'' and ''Disney/MelodyTime'', to create ''Music Land'' (1955). This constituted as a new film in RKO's eyes, and the deal ended with ''Music Land''.

* ''Music/AxisBoldAsLove'' by The Music/JimiHendrix Experience was a contractual obligation album because the Experience was required to release two albums in 1967. Despite this, it is regarded as a classic and was listed at #83 in ''Magazine/RollingStone'''s [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].

* ''AudioPlay/MontyPythonsContractualObligationAlbum'' expressly invokes this trope: it contained a minimum of brand new material, and that was often deliberately thrown together and made to look slapdash and amateurish whilst still remaining funny. Most of the rest consists of off-cuts from film scripts, and reworkings of old sketches and songs that go back to the middle 1960s, and which were originally intended for radio and TV shows that ''preceded'' [[Franchise/MontyPython Python]] by some years. Some sketches had indeed already been perfomed on British radio and TV by other people.

* And Goldberg had learned the lesson of just biting the bullet and starring in a flop from Creator/KimBasinger, who was driven into bankruptcy when she tried to defy this trope by refusing to star in ''Film/BoxingHelena''.

For a creator involved in a contractual obligation project, the ''obligation'' aspect looms over everything. A typical example is when there's a final project left in a long-term agreement between parties whose relationship has soured. [[CreatorsApathy The enthusiasm for this last project may be low]] since at least one party just wants to get it over with and end the deal. Other times, the Contractual Obligation Project may be one creators will do [[OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt just so they can get to do another more enticing project that's also part of the deal.]] This does not mean, however, a Contractual Obligation Project is all but guaranteed of being a dud. There are times when, in spite of everything, the final product will end up being [[SleeperHit financially successful, award-winning, and well-regarded]].

For a creator involved in a contractual obligation project, the ''obligation'' aspect looms over everything. A typical example is when there's a final project left in a long-term agreement between parties whose relationship has soured. [[CreatorsApathy The enthusiasm for this last project may be low]] since at least one party just wants to get it over with and end the deal. Other times, the Contractual Obligation Project may be one creators will do just so they can get to do another more enticing project that's also part of the deal. This does not mean, however, a Contractual Obligation Project is all but guaranteed of being a dud. There are times when, in spite of everything, the final product will end up being [[SleeperHit financially successful, award-winning, and well-regarded]].

Similar to MoneyDearBoy except the creator's goal in many instances is avoid losing money as a result of getting [[ScrewedByTheLawyers sued for breach of contract and having to expend legal costs and (in the worst case scenario) damages.]]

For a creator involved in a contractual obligation project, the ''obligation'' aspect looms over everything. A typical example is when there's a final project left in a long-term agreement between parties whose relationship has soured. [[CreatorsApathy The enthusiasm for this last project may be low]] since at least one party just wants to get it over with and end the deal. Other times, the Contractual Obligation Project may be one creators will do just so they can get to do another more enticing project that's also part of the deal. This does not mean, however, a Contractual Obligation Project is all but guaranteed of being a dud. There are times when, in spite of everything, the final product will end up being [[SleeperHit financially successful, award-winning, and well-regarded.]]

* Even though the film ended up winning her an UsefulNotes/Academy Award, Creator/ElizabethTaylor never liked ''[=Butterfield=] 8'' and only did the movie because it was required under her contract.

* Music/KellyClarkson pretty much said this for the execrable ''Film/FromJustinToKelly'' - "TwoWords: contractually obligated!"

* Creator/ThatGameCompany made a three-game deal with Sony in order to put themselves on the map of the video game industry. The results were ''VideoGame/{{flOw}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Flower}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'', and the aforementioned deal is the sole reason why all three of them remain Sony console-exclusives to this day.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' parody of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the OpeningCrawl veers off into a rant about how they're tired of parodying Star Wars, says that [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox Fox]] made them produce it, [[ParodiedTrope lapses into a non sequitur about raccoons, and finally asks people to lower their expectations for the episode.]]

* Creator/ChanningTatum's appearances in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' and ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' were the result of a deal he made with Paramount and the studio threatened him with a lawsuit if he didn't honor the agreement. He picked the GI Joe franchise in the hopes that it would be a fun experience but [[CreatorBacklash has had very few nice things to say about the film]] once he was no longer obligated to promote them.

* Even though the film ended up winning her an Academy Award, Creator/ElizabethTaylor never liked ''[=Butterfield=] 8'' and only did the movie because it was required under her contract.

* Music/TheBeatles signed a contract with United Artists in late 1963 to make three movies, two of which were the very well-received ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' and ''Film/{{Help}}''. ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' was intended by the band to be their third, but as it was an animated film and they decline to voice their likenesses until the very end scene, the studio said it didn't satisfy their contract. This led to the band making the infamous ''Film/MagicalMysteryTour'', which was universally savaged for its incomprehensible plot and poor acting.
* Creator/SylvesterStallone starred in ''Film/OverTheTop'' purely to fulfil his contract with Cannon Films.
* Creator/PaulNewman agreed to star in ''Film/WhenTimeRanOut'' out of contractual obligation and later called it the worst film he ever did. On the bright side, much of Newman's salary from "When Time Ran Out" provided the seed money to begin his successful charity, Newman's Own.
* Creator/SamRaimi was obligated to make ''Film/SpiderMan3'' and adding ComicBook/{{Venom}} as the main antagonist, in which he stated that character doesn't like it as well the addition of Gwen Stacey to the film, when originally the main antagonist were only Sandman and Harry Osborn as the new ComicBook/GreenGoblin. Venom and Gwen were added by petition of Avi Arad and the producers (most like an contractual obligation), making this movie messy and the reason why it's the lowest point of first Spider-Man trilogy. After those problems, Raimi left the studios, so the reboot ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' was made later.

* Creator/EdwardNorton only appeared in the remake of ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' because he needed to finish a three picture deal with Paramount. He especially wasn't happy at how the conditions of the deal meant that he was paid a fraction of what he'd have earned on any other film at that time in his career.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' parody of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the OpeningCrawl veers off into a rant about how they're tired of parodying Star Wars, says that [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox Fox]] made them produce it, lapses into a non sequitur about raccoons, and finally asks people to lower their expectations for the episode.

Compare AshCanCopy.

Similar to MoneyDearBoy except the creator's goal in many instances is avoid losing money as a result of getting [[ScrewedByTheLawyers sued for breach of contract and having to expend legal costs and--in the worst case scenario--damages.]]

* When Music/MarvinGaye got divorced in 1977, he agreed to give his ex-wife half the proceeds from his next album. The result was ''Here, My Dear,'' which was panned by critics and fans alike. Rumors that he intentionally made a bad album that wouldn't sell soon arose.

* The three ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' cartoons produced by (Creator/{{UPA}}) were a contractual obligation for their distribution contract with Creator/ColumbiaPictures. UPA wanted to do cartoons that steered away from the cliches of the day, such as the use of FunnyAnimals and {{Slapstick}}, both of which the Fox and Crow cartoons exemplified in spades. The cartoons were actually well received (two were nominated for Academy Awards), which gave UPA free rein to make their own films with their own characters.

* The three ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' cartoons produced by Creator/UPA were a contractual obligation for their distribution contract with Creator/ColumbiaPictures. UPA wanted to do cartoons that steered away from the cliches of the day, such as the use of FunnyAnimals and {{Slapstick}}, both of which the Fox and Crow cartoons exemplified in spades. The cartoons were actually well received (two were nominated for Academy Awards), which gave UPA free rein to make their own films with their own characters.

* Music/KellyClarkson pretty much said this for the execrable ''Film/FromJustinToKelly'' - "TwoWords : contractually obligated!"

* The existence of ''Film/CutthroatIsland'' had a lot to do with it being a Contractual Obligation Product for many of the people involved. The producers, for example were obligated to make the film because the money had already been raised and star Creator/GeenaDavis and director Creator/RennyHarlin were contractually tied to do it.

* Music/TheBeatles signed a contract with United Artists in late 1963 to make three movies, two of which were the very well-received ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' and ''Film/{{Help}}''. ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' was intended by the band to be their third, but as it was an animated film and they decline to voice their likenesses until the very end scene, the studio said it didn't satisfy their contract. This led to the band making the infamous ''Film/TheMagicalMysteryTour'', which was universally savaged for it's incomprehensible plot and poor acting.

* Creator/WhoopiGoldberg reluctantly did Film/TheodoreRex to fulfill a contractual obligation and avoid paying damages from a lawsuit by the film's producers.

* AudioPlay/MontyPythonsContractualObligationAlbum expressly invokes this trope: it contained a minimum of brand new material, and that was often deliberately thrown together and made to look slapdash and amateurish whilst still remaining funny. Most of the rest consists of off-cuts from film scripts, and reworkings of old sketches and songs that go back to the middle 1960's, and which were originally intended for radio and TV shows that ''preceded'' [[Franchise/MontyPython Python]] by some years. Some sketches had indeed already been perfomed on British radio and TV by other people.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' parody of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the OpeningCrawl veers off into a rant about how they're tired of parodying Star Wars, says that [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox Fox]] made them produce it, and asks people to lower their expectations, after a non sequitur about raccoons.

Creative works [[WordOfGod creators say they did mainly to fulfill a contractual obligation.]]

Creative works [[WordOfGod creators say they mainly did to fulfill a contractual obligation.]]

Trivia about the works [[WordOfGod creators say they mainly did to fulfill a contractual obligation.]]

IsThisTropable - DoWeHaveThis - NeedsMoreExamples - RollingUpdates - UpForGrabs
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Trivia page about the works [[WordOfGod creators say they mainly did to fulfill a contractual obligation.]]