The estate of Superman co-creator Joseph Shuster is suing Warner Bros. Discovery ahead of the July release of the new James Gunn film, alleging the company does not have the rights to release it in several countries.
The filed suit claims WBD lost the international rights to the hero years ago but continued to profit off him. The lawsuit is seeking “damages and injunctive relief for Defendants’ ongoing infringement in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, as well as declaratory relief establishing the Shuster Estate’s ownership rights across relevant jurisdictions.”
The suit continues, “Shuster died in 1992 and Siegel in 1996. By operation of law, Shuster’s foreign copyrights automatically reverted to his estate in 2017 in most of these territories (and in 2021 in Canada). Yet Defendants continue to exploit Superman across these jurisdictions without the Shuster Estate’s authorization—including in motion pictures, television series, and merchandise—in direct contravention of these countries’ copyright laws, which require the consent of all joint copyright owners to do so.”
This latest lawsuit is far from the only one the Superman co-creator’s estate has sought in years past. The first litigation regarding rights to DC Comics’ most recognizable hero dates all the way back to 1947.
The complaint is a possible wrench in the plans for Gunn’s “Superman” film. Both WBD and DC Comics have a lot riding on the success of the film as it’s the first step in a new shared universe after Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to helm DC Studios and start a new slate of films and TV using the company’s comic book roster.
“Superman” releases on July 11 and stars David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent. He’s joined by Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer. Other famous DC Comics superheroes appearing in the film are Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardener and Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific.