History ScrewedByTheLawyers / Film

* For over two decades, Creator/{{Nintendo}} has had a strict policy of refusing to allow any of their video game franchises to be adapted into films or film series. This was enforced after the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' became a catastrophic flop with both fans and critics. This policy caused a proposed film adaptation of ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' to be scrapped and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' fan-movie ''The Hero of Time'' to be hit with a cease-and-desist. [[note]]This even applied to ''[[ParallelPornTitles porn parodies]]'': Nintendo bought the rights to the two ''Super Hornio Brothers'' movies to ensure they wouldn't be re-released. Copies of the two movies are therefore very rare.[[/note]] However, beginning in late 2014, Nintendo might be relaxing this policy. [[http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/sony-nintendo-mario-bros-movie Leaked emails]] stolen from Sony Pictures as part of a cyber attack against the studio revealed that the studio was in negotiations with Nintendo to acquire the film rights to ''Mario'' and adapt the franchise into an AnimatedAdaptation, with ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' producer Avi Arad spearheading it. Later, it was revealed they'd instead partnered with Creator/{{Universal}} subsidiary Creator/IlluminationEntertainment to produce an animated adaptation of ''Super Mario Bros.'', to be released in 2023; this is the first time a Nintendo franchise outside the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series has ever been adapted into a film since the Japan-only ''Anime/AnimalCrossingTheMovie'' in 2006.

* ''Nothing Lasts Forever'' was a 1984 [[GenreBusting comedy/sci-fi/experimental/1930's genre throwback film]] starring Zach Galligan and Creator/LaurenTom, with the likes of Creator/BillMurray and Creator/DanAykroyd as part of its supporting cast. The film has a bizarre honor of being fully complete, but never receiving a proper theatrical or home video release due to unspecified "legal difficulties". The film has seen periodic screenings with Q&As with many involved members (including Bill Murray and director Tom Schiller), and the entire thing was briefly leaked onto [=YouTube=] from an anonymous source in 2014 before it was taken down by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. As of 2022, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes all that's readily available of the film are short snippets posted onto YouTube]].

* In a rare example of an actor being forced into servitude by a film studio (after the end of the contract player era), Creator/MikeMyers withdrew from a proposed adaptation of his ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch ''Sprockets'' due to OldShame over a script he wrote for the film. This pissed off Creator/{{Universal}} so much that they sued him a year later for failure to abide by the contract he signed with them. He tried to countersue, but a settlement was eventually reached in which he was required to work on a different project for them. After Creator/TimAllen withdrew from playing the title role for the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'', Myers was eventually brought in. This event, along with his reputation of being non-cooperative on set, contributed to his eventual downfall.

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse was a big victim of this, being a [[TheVerse shared universe]] for a handful of cinematic characters adapted from a [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse shared universe]] for ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters hundreds]]'' of comic book characters.

** This created a Catch-22: When Marvel did regain a new property, it was usually because the property's reputation had been too badly tarnished by the previous studio to continue making sequels. After ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}'' did poor business at the box office (which many blamed on the [[Film/{{Hulk}} previous]] adaptation), Marvel decided not to rush to integrate these properties right away, instead opting to focus on newer characters like ComicBook/BlackPanther, ComicBook/TheInhumans, and [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Captain Marvel]]. This is why Daredevil was relegated to a Creator/{{Netflix}} [[Series/Daredevil2015 TV show]] instead of a full-fledged movie reboot (which turned out to be for the better, as the series was greatly acclaimed on release), and why it's unlikely we'll be seeing ''Blade'' or ''The Punisher'' movie reboots anytime soon (The Punisher, however, is a major character in ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}''[='s=] second season, and eventually [[Series/ThePunisher2017 got his own show greenlit]].)

* ''Film/LetItBe'': Observers have said that the film is unlikely to be rereleased as long as Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/RingoStarr are still alive, due to its unflattering and downright painful look at the slow collapse and eventual breakup of Music/TheBeatles. Ironically, [=McCartney=] gets the least flattering portrayal in the film and is also one of the more eager to see it get an official release.

* For over two decades, Creator/{{Nintendo}} has had a strict policy of refusing to allow any of their video game franchises to be adapted into films or film series. This was enforced after the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' became a catastrophic flop with both fans and critics. This policy caused a proposed film adaptation of ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' to be scrapped and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' fan-movie ''The Hero of Time'' to be hit with a cease-and-desist. [[note]]This even applied to ''[[ParallelPornTitles porn parodies]]'': Nintendo bought the rights to the two ''Super Hornio Brothers'' movies to ensure they wouldn't be re-released. Copies of the two movies are therefore very rare.[[/note]] However, beginning in late 2014, Nintendo might be relaxing this policy. [[http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/sony-nintendo-mario-bros-movie Leaked emails]] stolen from Sony Pictures as part of a cyber attack against the studio revealed that the studio was in negotiations with Nintendo to acquire the film rights to ''Mario'' and adapt the franchise into an AnimatedAdaptation, with ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' producer Avi Arad spearheading it. If the negotiations hold up, this would be the first time a Nintendo franchise outside the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series has ever been adapted into a film since the live-action ''Mario'' film of 1993 in the West or the ''Anime/AnimalCrossing'' anime film of 2006 in Japan. Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto [[WordOfGod himself]] [[http://fortune.com/2015/08/21/nintendo-movie-partnerships/ hinted]] such reconsideration.

* Due to a Beatles-heavy soundtrack that's prohibitively expensive to license, the 1981 killer lion movie ''Savage Harvest'' can't be released on home video.

* As ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' proves, this can work ''against'' development studios as well. It's not that Rankin-Bass didn't try to keep the rights; in fact, a copyright of MCLXIV appears right in the opening credits. The problem: the special was made in 1964, or MC'''''M'''''LXIV, and the production crew [[WhatAnIdiot forgot to check the opening credits for that crucial misspelling]]. Because of that missing M, the film is legally considered to have been copyrighted in the year 1164, and thus in the public domain for almost 800 years. It sounds stupid -- after all, that was long before even the camera was invented -- but the decision has actually been upheld over the years, meaning just about anyone can use the characters from the special however they please without having to ask Universal (which currently claims to own the rights) for permission. Essentially, all those Christmas toy store/phone commercials you see everywhere around the holidays, and that one bit from "[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Channel Chasers]]", are bootlegs, and there's not a thing Universal can do about it.

* Probably the longest case of a franchise being bogged down by legal issues is ''Film/JamesBond'', as it had one that lasted ''forty to fifty years''.

** As of March 20, 2019, all Marvel properties and characters can interact with each other within the MCU now that Disney's acquisition of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox has been finalized. Despite this, the only characters and franchises Marvel still have legal trouble with are ComicBook/IncredibleHulk, which they don't have the distribution rights to, and Franchise/SpiderMan, which is just being shared between them and Sony.

** This created a Catch-22: When Marvel did regain a new property, it was usually because the property's reputation had been too badly tarnished by the previous studio to continue making sequels. After ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'' did poor business at the box office (which many blamed on the [[Film/{{Hulk}} previous]] adaptation), Marvel decided not to rush to integrate these properties right away, instead opting to focus on newer characters like ComicBook/BlackPanther, ComicBook/TheInhumans, and [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Captain Marvel]]. This is why Daredevil was relegated to a Creator/{{Netflix}} [[Series/Daredevil2015 TV show]] instead of a full-fledged movie reboot (which turned out to be for the better, as the series was greatly acclaimed on release), and why it's unlikely we'll be seeing ''Blade'' or ''The Punisher'' movie reboots anytime soon (The Punisher, however, is a major character in ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}''[='s=] second season, and eventually [[Series/ThePunisher2017 got his own show greenlit]].)

** According to Creator/MarkRuffalo, the aforementioned legal issues involving ComicBook/IncredibleHulk with Universal also apply to the [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] as well, as Universal still retains some rights to make and distribute stand-alone ''Hulk'' and ''Namor'' movies (similar to how ''Spider-Man'' and Sony are now being handled), as they did with the original ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' and ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''. Marvel can't seem to push them into giving the rights back, making the likelihood of another standalone movie featuring the Hulk small.

** According to Creator/MarkRuffalo, the aforementioned legal issues involving Namor with Universal also apply to the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk as well, as Universal still retains some rights to make and distribute stand-alone ''Hulk'' movies (similar to how ''Spider-Man'' and Sony are now being handled), as they did with the original ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' and ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''. Marvel can't seem to push them into giving the rights back, making the likelihood of another standalone movie featuring the Hulk unlikely.

* ''Shushybye: My Best Friend'', based on the show ''Shushybye Baby'', was produced entirely by [=BabyFirst=] and it had no involvement with The Shushybye Company, who owns the Shushybye Baby IP. Because of this, [=BabyFirst=] had to redesign the characters' costumes from scratch. The difference between the characters is ''very'' noticeable between the show and the movie.

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension'' allegedly saw attempts at continuation blocked, despite interest, because rightsholder David Begelman feared that his creative bookkeeping might get exposed in the process.

* ''The Beaver Trilogy'' is an anthology of three short films telling loosely the same story (one documentary and two adaptations of it using actors), all of which center around a drag performance set to a recording of "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" by Olivia Newton-John. It has limited availability due to rights issues relating to the use of the song, which is considered too crucial to the film to be removed or replaced. At first the only way to see the film was at festivals and other screenings; As of 2020, its director, Trent Harris, is selling [=DVDs=] through his official website, but any wider home-viewing release is unlikely for the same reason.
* Creator/{{Toho}} wanted to have a remake of ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'' for the Heisei series of the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films in the early 90s. However, Turner Entertainment (the copyright owners of the original King Kong films at the time) demanded exorbitant fees for use of Kong, so Toho scrapped the idea in favour of another iconic Godzilla foe, making ''Film/GodzillaVsKingGhidorah'' instead. This also prevented ideas of Godzilla fighting [[Film/KingKongEscapes Mechani-Kong]] from being conceptualized, simply because Mechani-Kong too closely resembled his organic counterpart. Note that this was not long after a rather infamous lawsuit by Creator/{{Universal}} against Creator/{{Nintendo}} claiming trademark infringement of King Kong with their ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' game (which they ended up losing).
* Shushybye: My Best Friend, based on the show Shushybye Baby, was produced entirely by BabyFirst and it had no involvement with The Shushybye Company, who owns the Shushybye Baby IP. Because of this, BabyFirst had to redesign the characters's costumes from scratch. The difference between the characters is VERY noticeable between the show and the movie.

* A sequel to the well-received ''Film/MasterAndCommander'' would be possible if the rights weren't tied up with '''three''' different studios, specifically Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox (which was bought by Creator/{{Disney}} in 2019), Creator/MiramaxFilms (at the time owned by Disney until it was sold in 2010, now co-owned by beiN and Creator/ViacomCBS), and Creator/{{Universal}} (now owned by Disney rival Comcast).

** One of James Bond's greatest villains in the original novels was [[NGOSuperpower SPECTRE]] (and its leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld). The novel that introduced SPECTRE, ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}'', was originally conceived as a film. The screenplay was a collaboration between James Bond's author Creator/IanFleming and screenwriter Kevin [=McClory=]. When plans for the film fell through, Fleming released ''Thunderball'' as a novel. [=McClory=] then sued Fleming for releasing the novel without his permission; this led to [=McClory=] being awarded the film rights to ''Thunderball'' as well as ownership of SPECTRE. Initially [=McClory=] allowed [[Creator/UnitedArtists UA]] to use SPECTRE for some of their Bond films, but this agreement expired in 1975. Thus, SPECTRE was retired from the "official" Bond films. 1977's ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was originally going to have Blofeld as a villain]], but he was replaced by {{Expy}} Karl Stromberg. Blofeld would then make a LawyerFriendlyCameo in 1981's ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' [[TakeThat where he gets killed off.]] Meanwhile, [=McClory=] made his own version of ''Thunderball'' under the name ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'' in 1983, which starred former Bond Creator/SeanConnery and [[DuelingWorks competed against]] EON's ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''.

* Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie was heavily altered from the [[ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen comic book]] for a lot of reasons, but this was one of them. The filmmakers were forced to replace the original [[Literature/TheInvisibleMan Invisible Man]] with a LegacyCharacter named "Rodney Skinner" because Creator/{{Universal}} still owned the movie rights to the original, and they AdaptedOut the League's handler Campion Bond (who was [[LawyerFriendlyCameo heavily implied]] to be the grandfather of [[Franchise/JamesBond a certain MI6 agent]]) to avoid a lawsuit from Creator/{{MGM}}.

* A sequel to the well-received ''Film/MasterAndCommander'' would be possible if the rights weren't tied up with '''three''' different studios, specifically Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox (which was bought by Creator/{{Disney}} in 2019), Creator/MiramaxFilms (at the time owned by Disney until it was sold in 2010, now co-owned by beiN and Creator/Paramount), and Creator/{{Universal}} (now owned by Disney rival Comcast).

* Creator/{{Toho}} wanted to have a remake of ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'' for the Heisei series of the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films in the early 90s. However, Turner Entertainment (the copyright owners of the original King Kong films at the time) demanded exorbitant fees for use of Kong, so Toho scrapped the idea in favour of another iconic Godzilla foe, making ''Film/GodzillaVsKingGhidorah'' instead. This also prevented ideas of Godzilla fighting [[Film/KingKongEscapes Mechani-Kong]] from being conceptualized, simply because Mechani-Kong too closely resembled his organic counterpart. Note that this was not long after a rather infamous lawsuit by Creator/{{Universal}} against Creator/{{Nintendo}} claiming trademark infringement of King Kong with their ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' game (which they ended up losing).

* This trope is most likely the reason why the titular possessed doll from ''Film/{{Annabelle}}'' was depicted as a generic glass doll instead of a Raggedy Ann doll as with the (supposedly possessed) real life doll, as it seems the owners of the Raggedy Ann & Andy property wouldn't take kindly to a Raggedy Ann doll being depicted as a demonic object.

* In a rare example of an actor being forced into servitude by a film studio (after the end of the contract player era), Creator/MikeMyers withdrew from a proposed adaptation of his ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch ''Sprockets'' due to OldShame over a script he wrote for the film. This pissed off Creator/{{Universal}} so much that they sued him a year later for failure to abide with the contract he signed with them. He tried to countersue, but a settlement was eventually reached in which he was required to work on a different project for them. After Creator/TimAllen withdrew from playing the title role for the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'', Myers was eventually brought in. This event, along with his reputation of being non-cooperative on set, contributed to his eventual downfall.

*** On August 20, 2019, it was revealed that a dispute over co-financing and producer credits have jettisoned Spider-Man out of the MCU. Over a month later, on September 27, 2019, the dispute was overcame with Spider-Man returning for two more movies.

* ''Film/LetItBe'': Observers have said that the film is unlikely to be rereleased as long as Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/RingoStarr are still alive, due to its unflattering and downright painful look at the slow collapse and eventual breakup of Music/TheBeatles. Ironically, [=McCartney=] gets the least flattering portrayal in the film, and is also one of the more eager to see it get an official release.

* In a similar vein, Creator/{{Sega}} followed Nintendo's footsteps after the failure of the [[Film/HouseOfTheDead film adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead''. Like the Nintendo example above, the anime ''Anime/SonicX'' and the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' tie-in television series averted this because of the shows being commissioned by Sega[[note]]With ''Sonic X'' being produced by TMS Entertainment, one of Sega's animation studios[[/note]], and not being licensed. However, a decade later, they decided to make another go, first by selling the film rights for ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' to Paramount[[note]]Though, due to ''Sonic Boom'', the deal so far excludes the TV rights[[/note]], and then announcing six months later that they intend to bring many of their franchises to television, film, and digital streaming.

* ''The Beaver Trilogy'' is an anthology of three short films telling loosely the same story (one documentary and two adaptations of it using actors), all of which center around a drag performance set to a recording of "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" by Olivia Newton John. It has limited availability due to rights issues relating to the use of the song, which is considered too crucial to the film to be removed or replaced. At first the only way to see the film was at festivals and other screenings; As of 2020, its director, Trent Harris, is selling [=DVDs=] through his official website, but any wider home-viewing release is unlikely for the same reason.

* ''The Beaver Trilogy'' is an anthology of three short films telling loosely the same story (one documentary and two adaptations of it using actors), all of which center around a drag performance set to a recording of "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" by Olivia Newton John. It has limited availability due to rights issues relating to the use of the song, which is considered too crucial to the film to be removed or replaced. At first the only way to see the film was at festivals and other screenings; As of 2020, its director, Trent Harris, is selling [=DVDs=] through his official website, but any wider home-viewing release is unlikely for the same reason.

** One of James Bond's greatest villains in the original novels was [[NGOSuperpower SPECTRE]] (and its leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld). The novel that introduced SPECTRE, ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}'', was originally conceived as a film. The screenplay was a collaboration between James Bond's author Creator/IanFleming and screenwriter Kevin [=McClory=]. When plans for the film fell through, Fleming released ''Thunderball'' as a novel. [=McClory=] then sued Fleming for releasing the novel without his permission; this led to [=McClory=] being awarded the film rights to ''Thunderball'' as well as ownership of SPECTRE. Initially [=McClory=] allowed [[Creator/UnitedArtists UA]] to use SPECTRE for some of their Bond films, but this agreement expired in 1975. Thus, SPECTRE was retired from the "official" Bond films. ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was originally going to have Blofeld as a villain]], but he was replaced by {{Expy}} Karl Stromberg. Blofeld would then make a LawyerFriendlyCameo in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' [[TakeThat where he gets killed off.]] Meanwhile, [=McClory=] made his own version of ''Thunderball'' under the name ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain''.
** In 1997, [=McClory=] announced that, in partnership with Sony Pictures, would remake ''Thunderball'' again, this time under the title of ''Warhead 2000'', with former Bond actor Creator/TimothyDalton being considered to play 007, which would launch a rival Bond series. MGM (UA's successor) sued Sony over the decision, leaving the latter to give up on the property. MGM would subsequently acquire all rights to ''Never Say Never Again'' in 1997, as well as the rights to the novel ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' and its [[Film/{{Casino Royale|1967}} earlier film adaptation]] from Sony two years later.
** ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' introduced a SPECTRE {{expy}} named Quantum. And then, shockingly, the legal issues were resolved in 2013. This led to James Bond fighting SPECTRE once again in the 2015 film... ''Film/{{Spectre}}''. Quantum being a SPECTRE expy did not go uncommented in ''Spectre'', where it was retconned into a division of SPECTRE.
** A lawsuit between MGM and Bond rights-holder Danjaq over the sale of television rights in the early-90s led to the cancellation of a third Bond film starring Timothy Dalton and led to a six-year gap where no Bond film was released, the longest gap in the franchise's history.

* A sequel to the well-received ''Film/MasterAndCommander'' would be possible if the rights weren't tied up with '''three''' different studios, specifically Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox (which was bought by Creator/{{Disney}} in 2019), Creator/MiramaxFilms (at the time owned by Disney until it was sold in 2010), and Creator/{{Universal}} (now owned by Disney rival Comcast).

* As ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' proves, this can work ''against'' development studios as well. It's not that Rankin-Bass didn't try to keep the rights; in fact, a copyright of MCLXIV appears right in the opening credits. The problem: the special was made in 1964, or MC'''''M'''''LXIV. Because of that missing M, the film is legally considered to have been copyrighted in the year 1164, and thus in the public domain for almost 800 years. It sounds stupid -- after all, that was long before even the camera was invented -- but the decision has actually been upheld over the years, meaning just about anyone can use the characters from the special however they please without having to ask Universal (which currently claims to own the rights) for permission. Essentially, all those Christmas toy store/phone commercials you see everywhere around the holidays, and that one bit from "[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Channel Chasers]]", are bootlegs, and there's not a thing Universal can do about it.

* This trope is most likely the reason why the titular possessed doll from ''Film/{{Annabelle}}'' was depicted as a generic glass doll instead of a Raggedy Ann doll as with the (supposedly possessed) real life doll.

* Probably the most notorious case is the ''Film/JamesBond'' franchise, as it had one that lasted ''forty to fifty years''.