

DC Studios’ upcoming Superman film is facing legal issues as the creator Joseph Schuster’s estate is suing distributor Warner Bros. Representatives for the Schuster estate have claimed that DC Studios is without the rights to distribute the film in “key territories”. Warner Bros. reps have responded to the claim stating “We fundamentally disagree with the merits of the lawsuit, and will vigorously defend our rights.”
This could spell out trouble for James Gunn’s upcoming superhero film, starring David Corenswet in the titular role. The film is set to hit theaters this July but could face a halt in distribution in Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia. Schuster and co-creator Jerome Siegel had previously granted film rights to DC’s predecessor, but those rights seem to not have translated over to the new project.
The copyrightability presented by the new lawsuit claims:
“The copyright laws of countries with the British legal tradition—including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia—contain provisions automatically terminating such assignments 25 years after an author’s death, vesting in the Shuster Estate the co-author’s undivided copyright interest in such countries.”
If the suit isn’t settled by Superman‘s July 11th release date, distribution could be stalled in these territories, if not worldwide. Warner Bros.’ statement seems confident that the new suit does not contain verifiability and anticipates the film’s release to occur without delay.
As the case is an ongoing legal dispute, it’s hard to predict exactly what could happen. We anticipate further updates regarding the matter.