Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! A battle between Sony Pictures and The Weinstein Company might not be as graceful or stylish as a clash between Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh, but it does have something to do with Crouching Tiger.
The Weinsteins claim that they own the rights to Wang Du Lu’s five books, which includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A lawsuit claims that the company had a written agreement with Wang’s heirs on 12 December last year, which handed them the rights to make TV shows and films from the books, along with other publishing details.
Sony have fired back with a claim of their own: “We filed suit on April third in the Provincial Court in Saskatchewan to enforce our rights to an option agreement in connection with four of five books by the author of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Sony Pictures Entertainment spokesman Jim Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter. "It is odd that they have chosen to respond by filing a duplicative suit here."
While it would be fun to suggest an epic sword clash to settle this one, we fear it’ll end up as either a dull old settlement or a dragging trial.