Skydance and the Buck Rogers estate counter Legendary’s claim they have rights to the classic pulp hero IP, as both announce competing series.
Watch out, intergalactic space drama ahead! According to The Hollywood Reporter, heartthrob and former ER doc George Clooney was set to executive produce an episodic adaptation of classic pulp action hero Buck Rogers for Legendary, with the added potential to star. Seems pretty innocent, right? Apparently not.
Enter Deadline, which reported, “The Buck Rogers estate, overseen by the Nowlan Family Trust, on Tuesday fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Legendary about its recent announcement that it was developing a TV reboot of the popular sci-fi property.”
Within the cease and desist letter, estate attorney Neville Johnson states, “Be advised that the Buck Rogers Interests have signed an agreement with Skydance Productions LLC to produce Buck Rogers content,” and that “Legendary/Murphy have no chain of title.” Something suspicious seems afoot to us!
Legendary holds firm they have secured the necessary rights. However, it has been discovered that Skydance is working on its own Buck Rogers project. Are we getting two Buck Rogers series out of this debacle (and do you even want one?). Who will come out victorious? Our bets are on Clooney.
Cybersecurity specialist by day, investigative journalist by night.
