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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Miracle Entertainment - MVEE -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Leroyt who wrote (124)	8/25/1999 10:59:00 PM
From: CrazyTrain	Respond to of 526

I just came across this. I guess it's business as usual in Hollywood. So far "good" news has made MVEE go down...so... you think maybe "bad" news will make it go up??? Probably not:( __________________________________________________ Untangling "Spider-Man" March 14, 1999 The "Spider-man" Movie for Dummies Still confused by all the rumors/news concerning this project? Buckle your seat-belt cause DP is gonna answer everything you ever wanted to know about this project. Why hasn't there been a Spider-Man film yet? The answer to this question is gonna be pretty long... There are many reasons, but let's begin with the origin of this project. Independent producer Menahem Golan bought the feature films rights to Spider-Man in 1985 for a reported $225,000 for a movie to be developed under his Cannon Films banner. Two years later, because of flops like the Sylvester Stallone film Over The Top, Cannon Films was investigated by SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) because of fraudulent finance. The case was settle out of court and Cannon Films was bought off by Pathe Communications. In 1989 as part of his severance package from Pathe, Golan took the rights to Spider-Man and Captain America to his new production company 21st Century Films. Time was running out for Golan in 1990. His six year deal was almost over, and he was negotiating with Marvel for more time. He had raised money with pre-sales of the Spider-Man movie. He sold worldwide television rights to Viacom, and home video rights to Sony. After getting wooed by Carolco at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, he agreed to a $5 million dollar movie deal. The deal had one condition, that Golan's name appeared as producer on the movie. Carolco, in 1991, after financing Terminator 2, paid James Cameron $3 million to write and direct the Spider-Man project. Then a credit problem arose. Apparently Carolco's contract with Cameron gave him the approval over every single credit on the project. Cameron didn't approve of Golan's producer credit. The result was Golan suing Carolco to rescind his contract with Carolco in April 1993. Then all hell broke loose. In February 1994, Carolco sued Viacom and Sony separately to nullify their television and home video rights. Sony and Viacom countersued Carolco, 21st Century, and Marvel. MGM, which as part of the Pathe Group considered itself the inheritor of Cannon's old Spider-Man rights, sued Golan, 21st Century, Viacom, Sony, and Marvel for fraud (among other things). Within a year further complications arose: Carolco, 21st and Marvel had each filed for bankruptcy. What happened when Carolco went bankrupt? Well all hell broke loose again. MGM bought the rights of Carolco to Spider-Man. MGM was trying to grab all possible rights so its claim on Spider-Man could be legit. What happened when Marvel Comics went Bankrupt? As part of its bankrupcy hearing, Marvel (now owned by Toy Biz) tried to reclaim Spider-Man feature film rights. The judge put on a lot of pressure so that the MGM/Viacom/Sony/Marvel lawsuit be resolved in the least amount of time. Marvel wanted it crown jewel to be free of all legal lawsuits so it could websling onto the big screen. This all happened six months ago. What happened to MGM's claim on "Spider-Man"? This issue has been resolved. On February 22nd 1999, Supreme Court Judge Aurelio Munoz ruled that MGM's rights on Spider-Man expired in 1996. MGM also resolved all of its claims last Monday, which includes the rights to James Cameron's treatment. They decided to settle with Marvel, rather then face a lawsuit from them for interfering with the making of a Spider-Man movie. What happens now to Sony's claims with "Spider-Man"? Sony has acquired all of the rights to Spider-Man. This agreement will enable Sony and Marvel to produce motion pictures and television series based on the Marvel Comics character. Additionally, Marvel and Sony have established a joint venture to exploit picture-related and series-related merchandise. What happens now to Viacom's claims that they own the TV rights? That lawsuit is still pending and no settlement is in sight yet. This lawsuit cannot stop the making of a Spider-Man movie though. Sony Questions Do they own the James Cameron treatment? Yes, they do. It was part of the MGM/Marvel settlement, that Sony would get the 1993's treatment that James Cameron wrote. Does Sony want to co-finance the picture with another studio? Not at all. Sony has made it very clear that they do not want to co-finance it with a rival studio. They have been desperate for a franchise. (See Godzilla, The Mask of Zorro, etc...) It would be illogical to co-finance their best chance at a blockbuster franchise. SPECULATIONS! Does this mean James Cameron won't be able to direct it? Yes and no. As many Cameron fans know, he's got a movie deal with 20th Century Fox till 2002 or 2003. He's not a free agent and cannot go direct a movie at another studio. So people point out that Titanic's success could change Fox's collective mind and allow Cameron to direct a Spidey movie at Sony. Does Sony really wanna put Spider-Man in Cameron's hands? It would cost them a fortune to make a Cameron Spider-Man flick. They could save a lot of money by hiring somebody which less prestige or has a deal at Sony. Anyway, in the last ten days Cameron has told members of the press he no longer wants to do a Spider-Man movie. He feels the time to have made it has passed for him. Who could possibly direct this, aside from James Cameron? Roland Emmerich: The obvious choice, him and partner Dean Devlin have a deal at Sony. They're currently doing Patriot and Spider-Man could be their next project. They're also rumored to wanna direct the possible Sony James Bond movie. Barry Sonnenfeld: He directed another Marvel comic adaptation for Sony, Men in Black. A possible choice considering that his upcoming The Wild Wild West movie could be another huge hit. But his next movie could be Sony's Mohammed Ali biopic. John Woo: Nobody has mentioned him yet, but he could be a contender in the race. He has a production deal at Sony. (Remember The Big Hit?) He's also been rumored to produce or direct a remake of his legendary The Killer at Sony. Wolfang Petersen: He also has a production deal at Sony. He's been directing movies back and forth from Warners and Sony (In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm). He's still a long shot for the Spidey directing assignment. A call for CA's UK readers Just wondering if you could e-mail me, I'm searching for something. Stay Tuned... That's All Folks... Jean-François Allaire (aka Deadpool)