Universal is taking MGM to court over TV ad spots for the Lion's forthcoming skating gladiator remake, "Rollerball."
In TV ads for "Rollerball," MGM is hoping to gain some traction from U's $144 million summer hit, "The Fast and the Furious."
John Pogue, an exec producer and uncredited writer on "Fast," wrote the screenplay for "Rollerball." MGM's spots seek to capitalize on that connection, describing "Rollerball" as a pic "from the filmmakers that brought you 'The Fast and the Furious.'
But U wants no association with "Rollerball," a pic that could have an uphill run in theaters. Pic, whose release date has been buffeted around, has received some negative buzz around town and online; it will have no premiere when it opens next month.
In a case that's led to rancorous recriminations on both sides -- and may even test the elasticity of an exec producer's credit -- U has filed a complaint in federal court, seeking a restraining order to force MGM to yank the "Rollerball" ads, accusing the Lion of false advertising, unfair competition and trademark delusion.
The dispute is aggravated by the fact that "Rollerball" opens Feb. 8 against U's "Big Fat Liar."
MGM plans to fight to keep its spots on the air and has filed an opposition brief. MGM argues that U rebuffed its offer to rewrite the ad, and even lists Pogue as one of the "filmmakers" behind "Fast" on the studio's Web site. An MGM source called the suit "a ploy to gain a competitive advantage for a movie that is opening against ours and not tracking as well."
That's "a preposterous argument," said a U source, who said the studio objects to the implication that Pogue "was a major creative contributor" on "Fast."
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