Warren Beatty Sues Tribune Over Dick Tracy Rights

[The Toyroom]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Warren Beatty has sued a unit of Tribune Co over the film and television rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy, a character he played in a 1990 hit film of the same name.

The suit, made public on Friday, was filed in Los Angeles federal court and seeks to prevent Tribune from taking the movie and TV rights away from Beatty, who has held them since 1985.

Beatty used the rights to make "Dick Tracy," which earned more than $160 million at worldwide box offices in 1990.

Under the original agreement between Beatty and Tribune, the rights would revert to Tribune if "a certain period of time" lapsed without Beatty having produced another Dick Tracy movie, TV series or TV special, according to court papers.

The suit said Tribune sent Beatty a letter on November 17, 2006, that gave him two years to begin production on Dick Tracy programing. Beatty began a Dick Tracy TV special on November 8 this year, the lawsuit said, and gave Tribune written notice.

"Tribune responded by asserting that it still had the right to terminate Beatty's Tracy Rights and effect a reversion, and purported to do so," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Beatty's work on the Dick Tracy TV special precludes Tribune from taking back the rights to the property.

Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman declined to comment on the suit.

Soooooo, he's had the rights since '85, made the flick in '90 and has sat on them for the last 18 years? Yeah I can see why Tribune would want to get them back, especially since it seems Beatty was only willing to do something once they called him on it.

He very well couldn't have made a sequel before since he had all the major villains in that film as just flunkies of Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino)

[kingdom warrior]

I'd like for the Tribune to get the rights back so It can be given to someone who can make a good Dick Tracy movie. Beatty's version stunk.

[vulcan2074]

I Never Could get into Watching the Movie.
Sammy

[thunderbolt]

The sets and villains were great in the movie, Madonna and Beatty stunk it up.

[Action Martin]

The sets and villains were great in the movie, Madonna and Beatty stunk it up.

Agreed.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Yeah, he should have hired someone else to play Tracy. And just because he was bedding Madonna at the time (and who wasn't) he let her take over and ruin the movie.

The villains and look were great though.

Chris

[toys2cool]

I love that movie But yeah i would've like a younger Dick Tracy and definitely more films

[palitoy]

I liked it when I saw it but I can't say it was something I'd watch over and over again. The Madonna subplot is painful.

I thought Beatty was ok as Tracy, I didn't like his redrawing of his face in the Kyle Baker comic though. I would like to someone early 40's and a little more "chiseled".

[The Phantom]

He very well couldn't have made a sequel before since he had all the major villains in that film as just flunkies of Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) [/QUOTE]

And then killed them all off.

[Brue]

Ya know - I really liked the DT movie. I don't think it got the respect it deserved.

But it is ridiculous to hold the character (an american icon) up for nearly 2 decades.

[LadyZod]

I enjoyed the movie, and considering the Blank storyline was right out of the Dick Tracy comics...

I think blaming Madonna for any bad aftertaste the film may have left is to give her TOO MUCH credit. She was actually pretty decent in the SMALL role she was given to play. Heck, it was not until the big reveal at the end that it was made evident that role of her character was larger (and completely WRONG since Breathless was never the Blank, it was Faceless Redrum!). Before then, she was nothing more than a femme fatal distraction from the real action who really had no place in the storyline. Even the annoying KID had a place in the Blank storyline!

I would blame the backseating of stronger Dick Tracy villains to make room for Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice which didn't even LOOK like Big Boy. What was up with THAT?! Yes, I understand that Big Boy was indeed a recurring thorn in Dick Tracy's butt, but considering the fact that they chose to do the Blank storyline, Big Boy had no place as the main baddie.

But it's also easy to take apart almost any movie adaptation of any comic or video game property. Some concessions I suppose should be made. Madonna being the iceberg to tear down the Dick Tracy ship? Nah. Too many other things came into play. She's an afterthought at the most.

[Riffster]

agreed, Beatty and Madonna killed the movie