Universal Sues Lionsgate Over a Movie Nobody Has Seen (Or Ever Should See)

Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 24, 2008

In what could be the biggest scandal to hit Hollywood since the Fatty Arbuckle debacle of 1921, Universal is suing Lionsgate for character theft, defamation, irreconcilable differences, and poor comedic sensibilities. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting from Hollywood that Lionsgate apparently lifted an entire character from Universal’s 1988 hit Midnight Run and dropped him into one of their recent bombs. The bomb in question? Witless Protection. Yes, that crapfest with the unfunny redneck.

Apparently when crafting the recent comedy gem, the creators of Witless Protection had a brilliant idea. Their film was about a woman hiding from the mob in witness protection… twenty years ago Midnight Run featured a barely comparable plot and was a hit both commercially and critically… how could they best recapture that DeNiro/Grodin magic? The answer was obvious.

Hire Yaphet Kotto to play FBI agent Alonzo Mosely. The exact same supporting character he played in Midnight Run. Exact same wardrobe, mannerisms, speech patterns, etc.

The Hollywood Reporter piece has a link to the actual court filing, and while most of it is dry legalese, it does include a damn entertaining review of Witless Protection. Why should we care about this lawsuit? (Aside from the obvious issue with copyright violation I mean.) We should care because in addition to demanding monetary damages including the film’s profits (this movie made money?), Universal is asking for all copies of the film to be impounded and destroyed. And wouldn’t that be a victory for us all?

Read more articles by Rob Hunter