Sylvester Stallone launches lawsuit against Warner Bros.
Sylvester Stallone is suing Warner Bros. for an alleged breach of contract in relation to ‘Demolition Man’.
The Hollywood icon starred as Sergeant John Spartan in the 1993 sci-fi movie, which also featured Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock, but Stallone claims the studio intentionally concealed profits from the movie and is now seeking to "end" bad accounting practices on the company’s part.
The complaint, made through Stallone’s loan-out company Rogue Marble, reads: "The motion picture studios are notoriously greedy. This one involves outright and obviously intentional dishonesty perpetrated against an international iconic talent. Here, WB decided it just wasn’t going to account to Rogue Marble on the Film.
"WB just sat on the money owed to Rogue Marble for years and told itself, without any justification, that Rogue Marble was not owed any profits. When a representative of Rogue Marble asked for an accounting, WB balked and then sent a bogus letter asserting the Film was $66,926,628 unrecouped."
Stallone, 70, said the studio initially resorted to a "double-talk excuse" when it was confronted about the issue, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The complaint said: "When challenged about this false accounting, it made a double-talk excuse, then prepared an actual profit participation statement for the same reporting period, and sent a check for $2,820,000 because the Film had in fact recouped its deficit."
The lawsuit says Stallone was due 15 percent of defined gross once the movie earned $125 million, and then even greater percentages if ‘Demolition Man’ passed the $200 million and $250 million milestones.
‘Demolition Man’ achieved at least $125 million, according to the complaint, meaning Stallone is entitled to 15 percent or more.
But after 1997, Stallone did not receive any profit participation statements until his agent contacted Warner Bros. in 2014.
Then, in January 2015, the Hollywood icon was informed of an alleged deficit for the movie and was told that no payment was due to him.
Stallone is seeking an unknown amount for the alleged contractual breach.
