Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Road House' remake lands in legal soup
R Lance Hill, the screenwriter behind the 1989 film Road House, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Amazon Studios and MGM under his pen name, David Lee Henry. Hill is seeking to halt the release of the upcoming remake, claiming the studios refused to license his screenplay after he reportedly regained the rights. In response, Amazon has called the lawsuit "entirely baseless" and denied the allegations.
Why does this story matter?
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead, the upcoming feature is a remake of the 1989 movie of the same title. It also features Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, JD Pardo, Arturo Castro, and Billy Magnussen in important roles. The movie, which got a green signal in 2022, months after Amazon Studios took over MGM Studios, is gearing up for its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 8 as the opening night film.
Lawsuit alleged misuse of AI in recreating voices
According to reports, the legal complaint suggests that Amazon used generative AI technology to mimic the voices of the film's actors to meet a self-imposed deadline, which would breach agreements with SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America. However, the studio's statement refuted these claims, stating, "no AI was used in place of actors' voices." Reportedly, an insider also noted that if AI had been utilized, it would have been by the filmmakers during preliminary edits, not by the studio.
Hill sent a termination notice to studios in 2021
Hill claimed he submitted a termination notice in November 2021, in line with the Copyright Act's provisions allowing authors to reclaim their work's rights after a specific period. He alleged that MGM and Amazon disregarded the notice and refused to license his screenplay. The studios countered by arguing that Hill's screenplay is a work-made-for-hire under his loan-out company Lady Amos. Hill disputed the claim, asserting that such language is standard practice regardless of a work's actual circumstances.
Legal battle hinges on work-made-for-hire status
The lawsuit's outcome hinges on whether Hill's original script was written "on spec" to pitch to studios or if he was under contract with United Artists when he completed the screenplay. Hill's lawsuit stated, "Hill had neither an employment nor a contractual relationship with United Artists when he wrote the screenplay." If the court finds that Hill's 1986 screenplay is not a work-made-for-hire, his termination notice could be considered valid, and Amazon Studios may be found guilty of copyright infringement.
Earlier, film's director protested against its OTT release
The Road House remake is scheduled for a streaming-only release on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. Director Doug Liman has publicly protested the film's release strategy due to it skipping a theatrical run. Hill also expressed disappointment in the decision to release the film on a streaming platform instead of in theaters. The legal dispute and controversy surrounding the film's release are still developing.
