'Predator' screenwriters file a lawsuit against Disney to win back franchise rights

Predator screenwriters, namely Jim and John Thomas, have reportedly filed a lawsuit against Disney, the eponymous production company that currently has the rights to the character and the franchise, in order to recapture the same. The Thomas brothers were responsible for the screenplay of the 1987 film, also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which saw the character of Predator making its big-screen debut.

As per an article on THR, 20th Century, the unit of Disney that has possession of the rights concerning the fictional extraterrestrial being, has filed a lawsuit themselves in order to counter the one registered by the siblings. The article in question claims that the screenwriter duo intends on making use of the copyright transfer termination laws, which affords the choice of either taking back the rights to the character or transferring it to someone else altogether, which supposedly gives the screenwriters an edge over the defendants of this case. A copy of the case report is available with The Hollywood Reporter.

A little about the original Predator movie:

The 1987 film, told the story of Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and his team, a handful of military personnel who embark on a mission to rescue a group of hostages in Central America. It is there where they meet the main anomaly of the jungle and the reason behind the film's main conflict, an extraterrestrial warrior who has been targeting Dutch and his team ever since their arrival on the scene. The film, which has a rating of 7.8 on IMDb, can be streamed on YouTube for a fee. The film in question inspired a number of sequels in the past already, one of those films was a spinoff film known as Alien vs Predator. The upcoming Predator reboot that is a part of the list of upcoming Disney Movies, is being directed by Dan Trachtenberg of 10 Cloverfield Lane fame. The same was revealed at first by Deadline. The director's response to the news going public can be found below.

Dan Trachtenberg reacts to the news of the upcoming Predator reboot 

On the other hand, the list of upcoming Disney movies includes the likes of Emma Stone's Cruella, Luca, The Night House, Jungle Cruise and Encanto, to name a few. Details regarding any of the films that are a part of the slate are still under wraps. The same will be shared with the readers as and when they are made available.