The Brothers Who Wrote the Screenplay for the Original “Predator” Franchise Drop Copyright Dispute with Disney

According to Reuters, Disney's 20th Century Studios and the brothers who wrote the screenplay for the original Predator movie have agreed to drop their copyright dispute, according to a Wednesday filing in Los Angeles federal court.

What’s Happening:

  • The two brothers, James and John Thomas, who scripted the prototype to the popular Predator franchise sued Disney to reclaim their copyright; Disney argued termination notice was premature.
  • ​​The dismissal follows a December notice that the parties had settled their claims over James and John Thomas' attempt to reclaim their share of Disney's rights in their screenplay.
  • The brothers' attorney Marc Toberoff of Toberoff & Associates said in a Wednesday email that the parties had come to an "amicable resolution."
  • The Thomas brothers wrote a screenplay called "Hunters" in 1984, which 20th Century Fox bought in 1986 and made into "Predator." The brothers sued the studio in San Francisco last year, alleging it had wrongly rejected their attempt to terminate its rights in the script.
  • 20th Century sued the brothers in Los Angeles on the same day, arguing the notice was premature and ineffective. It also said it had invested substantial time and money into developing a new installment of the Predator franchise.

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