The TV project produced by the former 'ER' actor is facing a roadblock as the estate of creator Philip Francis Nowlan has fired off a cease and desist order.
- February 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - George Clooney's plan to revamp space series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" has ground to a halt - estate bosses protecting the rights to the character have fired off a cease and desist order to the movie studio chiefs.
Members of the Nowlan Family Trust sent the letter to Legendary executives following their recent announcement they were rebooting the TV series with Clooney and his business partner Grant Heslov set to executive produce.
The estate officials contend they have already signed an agreement with Skydance Productions to exploit the property.
"Be advised that the Buck Rogers Interests have signed an agreement with Skydance Productions LLC to produce Buck Rogers content," estate attorney Neville Johnson writes, according to Deadline.
"Your conduct is a slander of title of the rights the Buck Rogers Interests own. Demand is made that you correct the record publicly as Legendary/Murphy have no chain of title. You are directed to advise all third parties, including any insurers, distributors, and financiers that there is no chain of title held by Legendary/Murphy."
But Legendary bosses aren't budging, telling the outlet, "We have secured the rights we need to proceed with our project..."
"This same party has been claiming for years that they have rights which they do not have and have been trying to inhibit projects based on rights they do not legally control."
Created by Philip Francis Nowlan in 1928 for pulp magazine Amazing Stories, Buck Rogers led a comic strip, a radio show, a 1939 film serial from Universal and a TV series on ABC from 1950 to 1951. The character was revived in 1979 for the film "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and a subsequent primetime series, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray.
