The possibility of an Edge of Tomorrow TV show has been leaked in legal dispute between Warner Bros and Village Roadshow.
Warner Bros has recently had a complaint filed against them by Village Roadshow over a rights dispute covering multiple Village Roadshow properties. Unearthed in these documents was Warner Bros. decision to move ahead with an Edge of Tomorrow television series despite a movie sequel being in development for years and despite Village Roadshow’s objections to moving forward with the property.
“20. More recently, WB made the decision to go forward with a television series based on Edge of Tomorrow, another Village Roadshow film. But it insisted that Village Roadshow relinquish its co-finance and co-ownership rights voluntarily. When Village Roadshow refused, WB said the quiet part out loud: it will not allow Village Roadshow to benefit from any of its Derivative Rights going forward, despite the over $4.5 billion it has paid WB to make and distribute 91 films. In other words, if Village Roadshow won’t give up its rights, WB will make sure they are worth nothing.”
Also a fight over a TV series based on this beloved Tom Cruise movie… pic.twitter.com/AAwM4Tmxbq
— Eriq Gardner ✍️ (@eriqgardner) February 7, 2022
This all comes from a dispute between the two companies over Village Roadshow’s rights to their properties such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matrix, and Edge of Tomorrow which WB has been producing for years in accordance with their contract.
“107. Village Roadshow responded that it was “unwilling to waive its rights to co- finance this proposed Edge of Tomorrow series.”
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“108. In retaliation, despite having obviously already made the decision to proceed, WB stated that it would now refuse to proceed with the project because Village Roadshow refused to waive its rights. As Brown, on behalf of WB, wrote in a January 10, 2022 email, “Given VR’s unwillingness to waive its rights to co-finance, as discussed in our initial conversation, we will forgo further development of this title.”
“109. WB has made clear that its effort to deprive Village Roadshow of its co- ownership and co-finance rights is not limited to Edge of Tomorrow. Not only did WB’s Dave Brown expressly say, in an email dated November 22, 2021, that WB would not “proceed on any project with Village Roadshow as a co-financier,” Brown made clear to Village Roadshow even earlier, in an October 19, 2021 email, that this would be an ongoing situation: “I know there may be more titles to come where we want to go down this path. So, while this isn’t a template, I’d like to get to a place where we are setting expectations.”
“110. Such a course of action allows WB to build billions in enterprise value while depriving Village Roadshow of the long-term, ongoing benefits of co-investing in and co- owning many entertainment properties, including potentially numerous films, television series, and other derivative works, in direct contravention of Village Roadshow’s legal and contractual rights.”
Stars from the first Edge of Tomorrow film Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise, and director Doug Liman have all expressed interest and support in a potential sequel. The script for the movie has reportedly gone through several revisions and has yet to reach a final draft.
Both a potential sequel and TV show have yet to begin production and are still in early developmental phases despite there being eight years since the original film’s release.
