New Line's Robert Shaye Blacklists Peter Jackson

[horacethegrey]

*stares blankly*

Assume I'm NOT a pre-Law student, who's more in the right? PJ or New Line?

What he's saying my good man, because New Line has vehemently refused any access into their account books, it just proves that they do have some swindled money hidden away, and lends more weight to Jackson's claim. So yes, it's quite obvious who's more in the right.

You know, it just saddens me greatly that this colloboration which finally brought us one of the fantasy genre's most beloved works to the big screen should end on such a sour note.

 

[Storm Raven]

*stares blankly*

Assume I'm NOT a pre-Law student, who's more in the right? PJ or New Line?

In most cases (and in almost all cases like this) the side that refuses to provide information is in the wrong. I will note that this sort of self-dealing practice is not isolated to the movie industry. Professional sports owners (in the United States at least) are notorious for doing this sort of thing to make their teams look like their are losing money hand over fist (as an example, the Chicago Tribune makes a mint off of the Cubs, but they have it set up so that the Cubs themselves lose money, the cable television stations they own make piles of cash on sweetheart broadcasting deals).

 

[Ranger REG]

You know, it just saddens me greatly that this colloboration which finally brought us one of the fantasy genre's most beloved works to the big screen should end on such a sour note.

Not really. We can hope that New Line screws up that the licensed expired on them, so Saul and PJ can collaborate by bringing the Tolkien's story in full circle.

 

[Banshee16]

If Jackson wants to see the books in these other companies and New Line does not want to show them - you don't need to know anything else. You already know who is right and who is wrong and what those books are going to show. Really. It IS that simple. Not a lawyer or accountant in the business who needs to hear more than that. The rest is accounting details, fights over source documents, motions, refusals and more motions.

It is a lengthy battle.

Ok...that's what I'd heard through another source.....New Line promised X% of revenue, but have faked the actual amount of revenue they received, to make it appear lower, because if they revealed that they made more, they'd have to pay P.J. additional money, which would reduce their profit etc.

In any case....isn't New Line a publically traded company? If they are, doesn't that mean that it should be possible for PJ to subpoena their records, and they have to comply?

A crime I really hate is accounting fraud which this basically is, isn't it, if the allegations are true? Traditionally the penalties for white collar crime have been pretty insignificant, considering the amount of impact they can have.....Enron, Worldcom, Nortel, etc. etc. This almost sounds like it's more of the same thing.

Banshee

 

[Hand of Evil]

In any case....isn't New Line a publically traded company? If they are, doesn't that mean that it should be possible for PJ to subpoena their records, and they have to comply?

Banshee

That is what this is about, PJ wanting to see the books, he is not sueing for money or saying he was cheated, just to audit the books because of concerns he has in New Lines practices. His company was given the right for this in their contact with New Line, for making LotR. He is suing to perform that right.

IF there is wrong doing found, PJ would then have to file another suit to get any money owned him. The thing is that PJ would have to provide that he lost money because of those practices, we are talking large amounts here, 25% or greater difference in what New Line has in the books! By New Line holding ut on this, it looks like they could lose billions.

 

[Rackhir]

There was a famous example of this sort of thing with the recently deceased Art Buchwald. One of the studios essentially ripped off a script he'd written for them about an african prince coming to the US. He sued them over this and won a percentage of their take on the film, which they promply claimed had never made any money. Despite it having pulled in nearly 300 million in the late '80s.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Ok...that's what I'd heard through another source.....New Line promised X% of revenue, but have faked the actual amount of revenue they received, to make it appear lower, because if they revealed that they made more, they'd have to pay P.J. additional money, which would reduce their profit etc.

The articles I've seen have said that the arguement is over the bidding process for add-on products and other things. In essence, New Line took bids from their own companies and may not have open-bid them competitively, which would have netted more money to New Line and therefor to Jackson. With less competitive bids, more of the money would go to the other companies, leaving Jackson out of that cut.

 

[Ranger REG]

That is what this is about, PJ wanting to see the books, he is not sueing for money or saying he was cheated, just to audit the books because of concerns he has in New Lines practices. His company was given the right for this in their contact with New Line, for making LotR. He is suing to perform that right.

IF there is wrong doing found, PJ would then have to file another suit to get any money owned him. The thing is that PJ would have to provide that he lost money because of those practices, we are talking large amounts here, 25% or greater difference in what New Line has in the books! By New Line holding ut on this, it looks like they could lose billions.

And they deserve to lose billions $$$.

 

[Hand of Evil]

New Line's releases for 2007 -

..The Number 23 2/23/07 - Comedy Thriller with Jim Carrey
..Full of It 3/2/07 -
..The Last Mimzy (formerly Mimzy) 3/23/07 -
..Fracture 4/27/07 -
..Hairspray (2007) 7/20/07 - Musical with John Travolta
..Rush Hour 3 8/10/07 - Action Comedy - Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker
..Shoot 'Em Up 9/7/07 - Action but has Monica Belluci
..Martian Child 10/12/07 - Sci-fi with John Cusack
..Mr. Woodcock 10/26/07 - Comedy with Billy Bob Thornton
..His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass 12/7/07 - Fantasy with Nicole Kidman & Daniel Craig
..Pride & Glory 2007 - Crime Drama
..Rendition Holiday 2007 - Thriller with Reese Witherspoon & Jake Gyllenhaal

 

[Ranger REG]

You forget Pan's Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo Del Toro).

I won't be surprised if Mr. Shaye would push for Guillermo Del Toro to direct The Hobbit to avoid license expiration.