News

Rockstar "threatened to sue" Frank Darabont over upcoming TV show
Posted: 25.01.2013 10:30 by Nick Akerman Comments: 5
Filmmaker Frank Darabont has been forced to change the name of his upcoming noir drama due to legal threats from Rockstar.

"It was going to be called LA Noir, based on the book by John Buntin," said Darabont, who is most famous for directing The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and ABC'S The Walking Dead pilot.

"But the video game company with the video game called LA Noire (with an e) threatened to sue the shit out of me, TNT, every company that actually ever worked in Hollywood. And they have the billions of dollars to back it up, apparently.

"So we're changing the title, and I do believe the title is going to be Lost Angels," he concluded.

Was Darabont right to change the name? Cole Phelps would know the answer.
Source: VG247

Comments

By nocutius (SI Elite) on Jan 25, 2013
nocutius
First Rockstar name the game "LA Noire" to avoid any possible lawsuits and then when someone wants to use the original name they threaten to sue cause it's too similar to the fake name that they themselves have stolen?

Rockstar -> a**holes
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jan 25, 2013
SirRoderick
That's a pretty awful backflip, indeed. But they have the money to bully people like that :/
By danfreeman (SI Core) on Jan 25, 2013
danfreeman
Rockstar do you wanna be on my blacklist too? I mean this is ridiculous,this is downright hypocrisy and i will never support such behavior.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jan 26, 2013
herodotus
L.A. Noire refers to a period from the late 1930's to the mid 1950's in L.A., now a propriety term owned by Rockstar which is just wrong.
While there is now a film, "Gangster Squad"* based on this period, and more specifically the late 1940's everyone should read the book it's based on, especially Rockstar and the Copyright Law courts.
Making a film , or series in the film noir genre about this period in L.A. should quite rightfully be termed "L.A. Noire". Cheeky, Rockstar, very cheeky.
Like take a patent on the term "Horror", and start suing everyone that uses that term in any title.

*"GANGSTER SQUAD", the book, chronicles the true story of the secretive police unit that waged an anything-goes war to drive Mickey Cohen and other hoodlums from Los Angeles after WWII. In 1946, the LAPD launched the Gangster Squad with eight men who met covertly on street corners and slept with Tommy guns under their beds.
By Chosen_One (SI Elite) on Jan 26, 2013
Chosen_One
This is just ridiculous. At some point I laughed, but at another I feel ashamed of Rockstar behavior, gaming industry shouldn't be like other ones, but they acted like an a**holes.