Movies
Writer Putting the Breaks on Uni’s ‘Death Race’?
It looks as if Universal Pictures remake of Death Race could be crashing before it even hits the wall. Writer Adam Stone is in a race to stop the release of Universal’s film, which is slated to hit theaters everywhere this Friday. The reason? Plagiarism. Read on for the story and watch for news as it develops.
Stone claims in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court that the upcoming Universal thriller is based on a script he pitched to the film’s producer-director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. He seeks a court order stopping the film’s release.
Stone claims that after the producers passed, Bolt made and kept a copy of his screenplay, titled “Joust,” to use as a “blueprint” for Anderson’s revision of the script for “Death Race.”
While “Death Race” is purported to be a remake of the 1975 film, “Death Race 2000,” Stone contends in his lawsuit that it actually is based on “Joust” and that there are at least 39 elements in the soon-to-be released film that mirror his screenplay.
Universal, which is a defendant in the lawsuit, declined comment on the lawsuit.
“Death Race,” which stars Jason Statham and Joan Allen, is set for release FridayAug. 22. Stone is asking the court to stop the release of the film.
“Experience in other cases has shown that unless such orders are issued, defendants will simply continue to exploit the infringing motion picture in all media and by all methods at their disposal,” the lawsuit states.
Stone seeks unspecified damages.
One of the genre films set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June is the sci-fi/drama She Loved Blossoms More, and a bonkers first-look photo has arrived this week (above).
Additionally, Variety reports this afternoon that Yellow Veil Pictures has secured world sales on She Loved Blossoms More, billed as a “family drama in science fiction disguise.”
In the film, “three brothers build an unusual time-machine in order to bring their long-dead mother back to life. When their delusional father comes into the picture, the experiments go awry, and they descend into a psychedelic hellscape where the past and present fuse in a comedic yet deeply disturbing exploration of grief.”
Yannis Veslemes directed the film and co-wrote with Dimitris Emmanouilidis.
Veslemes said in a statement shared by Variety, “[She Loved Blossoms More is] a ballad for the defeated, a comedy for the accursed, a moral tale for us all and our beloved families.”
“She Loved Blossoms More is the first film we’ve onboarded at script stage, and it’s been quite amazing to see it come alive,” said Hugues Barbier of Yellow Veil Pictures. “We couldn’t be more proud of Yannis’ vision and the amazing team he has around him. Blossoms is an emotional thrill ride and a calling card for one of the most exciting new filmmakers.”
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