Rights & Ownership
Two Movies, Two Famous People, and the Life Rights Question Everyone Gets Wrong
Right now, two movies are arriving about two very recognizable people. Anthony Ippolito plays Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky, the story of Stallone fighting to get Rocky made. And Robert Pattinson plays Chris Hansen in Primetime, a film built around Hansen’s To Catch a Predator era. Here’s the part that surprises people. Neither movie
Rights & Ownership
When an Offer Sounds Like a Threat: What YouTube’s Netflix Play Teaches Creators About Leverage
Bloomberg reported last week that YouTube is offering some of its biggest creators millions of dollars to keep their content exclusive to the platform for a period of time. The money comes in two forms: direct financing for programs, and a cut of major brand deals. It is a real shift for a company that
Rights & Ownership
Guarantee vs. Ceiling: What Taylor Sheridan’s “Billion-Dollar Deal” Actually Means
You’ve probably seen the headline: Taylor Sheridan signed a billion-dollar deal. Not exactly. He signed a deal reportedly worth up to a billion dollars. And those two phrases mean completely different things. That gap, between what a deal is “worth” and what it actually guarantees, is one of the most useful things any creator can
Rights & Ownership
The Billion-Dollar Sequel That Might Not Happen: What Barbie Teaches About Rights, Options, and Leverage
The highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history might not get a sequel. Not because audiences don’t want one. Because of contracts. Barbie made roughly $1.4 billion. And according to recent reporting, Barbie 2 is stalled, possibly dead, tangled in rights deadlines and deals that haven’t closed. However it resolves, the situation is one of the
Rights & Ownership
The AI Warranty: The Contract Clause Quietly Reshaping Creative Deals
A debut novelist’s reported seven-figure book deal collapsed recently over a single question: was the manuscript written by a human, or by AI? The author denied using it. The deal fell apart anyway. And the clause at the center of that story is now showing up in contracts across publishing, film, and content creation. It’s
Rights & Ownership
Why The Odyssey Has to Gross $625 Million to “Break Even” on a $250 Million Budget
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey reportedly cost about $250 million to make. So why do the headlines say it needs to earn around $625 million just to break even? People assume someone is inflating the number. They aren’t. The gap between those two figures is one of the most useful things a filmmaker can understand about
Rights & Ownership
What the Call of Duty Movie Deal Teaches Independent Filmmakers About Option Agreements
Call of Duty has sold more than five hundred million copies. It has generated over thirty billion dollars in revenue. It is, by any measure, one of the most valuable pieces of entertainment intellectual property in existence. Activision first announced plans for a Call of Duty cinematic universe in 2015. It took nearly a decade
Rights & Ownership
Who Owns an AI-Generated Film? What Thaler v. Perlmutter Means for Filmmakers
On March 2, 2026, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear Thaler v. Perlmutter. With that decision, or more precisely, with that refusal to decide, the legal question at the center of the AI and copyright debate was left exactly where the lower courts had placed it. AI cannot be an author under United States
Rights & Ownership
AI Films, Copyright, and Chain of Title: What Distributors Will Ask That Nobody Is Talking About
Two AI films just premiered at major festivals. One may have a copyright problem that changes everything about how it gets distributed. Two AI films just premiered at major international film festivals. One at Cannes. One at Tribeca. Both are looking for distribution. And one of them may have a legal problem that filmmakers have
Rights & Ownership
Ryan Coogler Didn’t Just Make Sinners. He Owned It. Here’s How.
Three contract provisions every filmmaker should understand before they sign anything. Ryan Coogler has directed five films. Combined, they have grossed $2.4 billion at the box office. Every dollar from the first four went to a studio. Then he made Sinners — a film about twin brothers in 1930s Mississippi fighting to own something in
Rights & Ownership
How The Amazing Digital Circus Built a Studio That Answers to Nobody — And What Indie Filmmakers Can Learn From It
In October 2023, an independent animation studio in Sydney, Australia posted a cartoon pilot on YouTube. No network. No development deal. No studio backing. The pilot was The Amazing Digital Circus created by Gooseworx and produced by Glitch Productions, a studio founded by brothers Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul. Hundreds of millions of views later…Netflix called.
Rights & Ownership
Who Owns the Backrooms? What the A24 Film Teaches Filmmakers About Copyright & Creative Ownership
Backrooms made $81 million in its opening weekend — and immediately raised one question: who owns the Backrooms copyright? A24’s biggest opening ever. Kane Parsons — 20 years old — became the youngest director to top the global box office. It’s the right question. And the answer is more legally fascinating than most people realize.
