Warner Bros is facing a lawsuit from the estate of Joseph Shuster, co-creator of Superman. The lawsuit was filed ahead of the release of a new Superman movie directed by James Gunn.
Shuster and Jerome Siegel created Superman in 1938. The lawsuit claims that the rights to the character reverted to Shuster’s estate in 2017 under British law, 25 years after his death.
The estate accuses Warner Bros of not paying royalties for the character’s use in countries outside the US, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
The estate is seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop the use of Superman without proper licensing.
Warner Bros disagrees with the lawsuit and plans to defend itself. The Shuster estate’s lawyer stated the suit is not meant to stop the movie, but to ensure Shuster gets fair compensation for his contributions.
The new film, starring David Corenswet as Superman, is set for release in July. It is part of DC’s effort to compete with Marvel’s cinematic universe. It is unclear whether the lawsuit will affect the film’s international release.
This is not the first legal issue over Superman’s rights. In 2013, a US court ruled that the creators would not regain the rights under US law.
