Universal Vs. MGM In 'Rollerball' Round One

Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 11:58 AM Central

by Heather Koehler

Universal tossed a lawsuit in the laps of MGM executives and the two studios went to court on Monday, over commercials for MGM's upcoming movie, Rollerball. The movie word is that the 1975 remake is "a troubled picture" as a Uni spokesperson explains. "There's a concern tht they would be diluting our brand."

The advertisements contain voice-overs telling audiences "from the filmmakers that brought you 'The Fast And The Furious' and 'Die Hard,' statements that have little validation. The only connection between Rollerball and F & F is John Progue, who was one of many executive producers of F & F and a screenwriter for Rollerball. As far as Die Hard, John McTiernan directed the action-flick and is one of the listed directors for Rollerball.

Universal believes the association made between the two films will hurt the upcoming sequel, The Fast And The Furious 2. The courts are yet to release a decision but MGM executives are nose-up for negotiations.