Director George Miller is suing Warner Bros. over earnings from the 2015 hit “Mad Max: Fury Road,” The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
“Simply put, we are owed substantial earnings for diligent and painstaking work which spanned over 10 years in development of the script and preparation and three years in production of the movie,” Miler’s production company, Kennedy Miller Mitchell, said. “That hard work resulted in a picture which found wide acclaim globally.”
It added: “We would much prefer to be making movies with Warner Bros than litigating with them but, after trying for over a year, we were unable to reach a satisfactory resolution and have now had to resort to a lawsuit to sort things out.”
Warner Bros responded: “We disagree and will vigorously defend against these claims.”
According to The Herald, Justice David Hammerschlag said that Miller’s agreement with Warner Bros. regarding the making of “Fury Road” included the condition that Kennedy Miller Mitchell would receive a $7 million bonus if “the final net cost” of the movie came in under $157 million, minus promotional costs and such. It also included the stipulation that if Warner Bros. wanted to seek additional financing, it would have to first approach Miller’s production company for the chance to provide the funds.
“On [Warner Bros’] calculations, ‘Mad Max’ went over budget,” Justice Hammerschlag said. “If these calculations are right, [Kennedy Miller Mitchell] does not get a bonus.”
Kennedy Miller Mitchell also said that Warner Bros. breached their “first offer” agreement by entering in a co-financing deal of 12.5 percent with RatPac Entertainment, then run by James Packer and Brett Ratner.