Michael Crichton Lawsuit Goes After ER-Inspired Series
Warner Bros. has been dealing with a lot of backlash for the decisions they have been making recently, mostly involving scrapping finished movies before they can be released to receive tax write-offs. However, now it is a show that they actually want to release, and that is causing them problems. The estate of the late Michael Crichton, author of classic stories like Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, is suing Warner Bros Television, saying the company is trying to steal the concept for a sequel to ER, which Crichton was also the creator of.
Michael Crichton’s widow, Sherri Crichton, is the one leading the suit, feeling his legacy for ER is being threatened. The main companies and people named in the suit include Warner Bros. Television, John Wells, Noah Wyle, R. Scott Gemmill, all of whom are being accused of breach of contract.
The Long-Rumored ER Sequel
This all stems from when Warner Bros. Television began negotiations with Michael Crichton’s estate about possibly creating a sequel series to the hit medical drama ER. The original show ran from 1994 until 2009, and Crichton served as the show’s creator, writer, and executive producer. It was inspired by his time as an intern in an emergency room.
Warner Bros Tried A Different Angle
Negotiations broke down between Warner Bros. and Michael Crichton’s estate for the sequel to ER, and they seemingly opted to pass on pursuing the idea. However, now Warner Bros. is looking to release The Pitt, a medical drama set in Pittsburgh focusing on medical personnel juggling their careers along with their personal lives. Beyond the similar concepts, the Crichton estate says Warner Bros. has essentially taken everything that was planned for the ER sequel and grafted it onto The Pitt with only the new name.
The suit from Michael Crichton’s estate says, according to a Deadline investigation, that “The Pitt is ER. It’s not like ER, it’s not kind of ER, it’s not sort of ER. It is ER complete with the same executive producer, writer, star, production companies, studio and network as the planned ER reboot.”
Fighting For Her Husband’s Legacy
The lawsuit has an especially personal connection as the team behind it says this is not the first time Michael Crichton has had others profit off of his work since his death without giving him credit, and it can’t happen again with ER. Crichton’s widow says that Westworld was also based on her late husband’s work and did not properly credit him. She makes it clear that she does not want to see such a thing happen again here.
Taking Warner Bros To Task
Sherri Crichton released a response, obtained by Deadline, about how Michael Crichton’s legacy was being treated for the ER sequel, saying, “I have read all the correspondence from [Warner Brothers Discovery executive] Brett Paul and I have to say that I was shocked by the way they were treating Michael’s legacy, me and our son.” Sherri and her team feel that since her husband passed in 2008, Warner Bros. has been trying to profit off of his work without giving him his due credit. She makes it clear that they are not the only ones, and she calls out HBO as well.
“The negotiations were fraught with bullying and veiled threats,” she said regarding talks of doing a sequel to Michael Crichton’s ER. “This is the same type of behavior that allowed Warner Brothers to strip Michael of his ‘Created By’ credit on Westworld (a film he created, wrote, and directed) and to minimize and eliminate his contributions to a host of other successful projects. This is wrong. Michael would be appalled.”
The Legal Fight Is Only Starting
Michael Crichton’s estate makes it clear that they want the suit to go to a jury trial so evidence can be laid out that they feel will make it clear that The Pitt is just the ER sequel with a different name. If this can indeed be proven in court, it is unclear if the resolution would involve Warner Bros. being forced to scrap The Pitt altogether, pay money to the estate of Crichton, or even be forced to include his name in credits for the show.
Source: Deadline
