Producers Steve Stabler and Brad Krevoy thought they had first dibs on any sequel to the 1994 Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels classic Dumb and Dumber. Imagine their surprise when Dumb and Dumber To hit theaters in 2014 (not to mention the forgettable prequel, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd in 2003).
So Stabler and Krevoy did what any self-respecting, aggrieved movie producers would do: they lawyered up. The producers are suing New Line Cinema for $ 1 million for breach of contract.
Production Rights and Rights To
Stabler and Krevoy claim they were paid $ 200,000 each in producer fees, along with 50 percent of all of New Line’s net profits on the original film. They also claim they were assigned “rights of first negotiations for sequels and remakes with a floor of this deal.” The producers are alleging that by entering into production agreements with two other companies for the Dumb and Dumber To production New Line violated that contract clause.
According to the lawsuit, New Line “blatantly breached the contract” by assigning production rights the sequel to production company Red Granite “without honoring Plaintiffs’ rights of first negotiation. As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiffs have lost monetary compensation as well as credits and other consideration, and Defendants have been unjustly enriched.”
Lawsuit Sequel
This isn’t the first time Stabler and Krevoy have sued Red Granite. As Variety reported:
The producers alleged they were wrongfully forced out of the sequel, “Dumb and Dumber To,” but what really got attention were claims that Red Granite had embezzled money from Malaysia to finance its films. That claim — seemingly confirmed last year, when the U.S. government filed a multi-billion dollar corruption case — was withdrawn by the producers in 2014 as the two sides reached an amicable settlement. (Red Granite, for its part, insists it did nothing wrong.) That seemed to be the end of that. Krevoy and Stabler apologized for suing the principals of Red Granite personally, and were given executive producer credits.
So it’s a sequel lawsuit to the sequel movie. Expect more litigation if the franchise becomes a true trilogy.
Related Resources:
- ‘Dumb and Dumber’ Sequel Subject of New Lawsuit (Variety)
- Jim Carrey Sued Twice for Wrongful Death of Ex-Girlfriend (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)
- ‘Raging Bull’ Sequel Lawsuit: Jake LaMotta Sued by MGM (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)
- In ‘Godzilla’ Lawsuit, 3 Ex-Producers Claim Contract Fraud (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)