Plans for a third Mortal Kombat movie took an uppercut to the jaw Tuesday.
That’s because Threshold Entertainment, a company with a long history developing movies and animation related to the classic arcade game, filed a breach of contract injunction against Warner Bros., which was hoping to get a reboot of the film franchise off the ground.
Threshold claims it still has dibs on Mortal Kombat, The Wrap reports, after entering an agreement with Midway in the ’90s to develop a variety of media properties based on the arcade game. According to the lawsuit, Threshold entered into an additional agreement with Midway in 2006 that gave the company the rights to develop a third Mortal Kombat movie.
Warner Bros. took control of Midway last year after emerging as the sole bidder on the bankrupt company’s dwindling assets and properties. As Midway’s fortunes waned, the company held a fire sale – selling many of its games for a song.
Its not terribly surprising that Warner Bros. is discovering a few strings attached to the bargain. Just the same, this hiccup in Mortal Kombat’s road back to the big screen could clear up just as quickly as it cropped up. A deftly filed lawsuit is a tried and true way to get a potential business partner to sit down at the bargaining table.
Mortal Kombat Thrown Into Legal Match [The Wrap]
See Also:
- Majority of Midway Games Sold for $100,000
- Midway Cuts Jobs, Cancels Games to Save Cash
- BlackSite Designer Quits Midway; Speech Called ‘Public Resignation’
- Midway VP on Where Games and Movies Collide