World Event Productions To Sue Toei Over Voltron Rights

Reportedly, this past Monday American animation producer/distributor World Events Productions (WEP) began proceedings to sue Japan’s Toei Animation for interference with WEP’s ability to negotiate development of a live action Voltron movie.

In August 2007 Variety Magazine reported that American film production studio New Regency was close to signing a deal with WEP for the production of a live action Voltron movie when Toei objected, citing that WEP had rights to manage only Voltron animation, not live action. New Regency reportedly investigated WEP and Toei’s claims and determined that WEP may not have had full and exclusive rights to negotiate production of a live action Voltron film. As a result, in August 2008 New Regency canceled its tentative plans to develop a live action Voltron film.

World Event Productions’ legal summons states that WEP, “has lost at least one development deal that would have resulted in a live-action motion picture,” and demands a full clarification of exactly and completely what rights to the Voltron franchise belong to WEP and what rights Toei and original Golion character designer Kazuo Nakamura retain.

Source: Anime News Network