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UPDATE: Paramount has responded to the charges leveled by the estate of The Godfather author Mario Puzo. Said a spokesperson: “Paramount has tremendous respect and admiration for Mario Puzo and his legacy. We are only seeking to adhere to the terms of the deal that were agreed upon by Mr. Puzo himself.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Estate of Mario Puzo has fired back in answering and filing a counterclaim that refuted the suit Paramount Pictures filed last month to stop the author’s son from publishing a new sequel novel to his father’s classic Mafia saga of the Corleone clan. Attorney Bert Fields is seeking to refute the studio’s claim that it controls book rights to The Godfather and will try to terminate the studio’s rights for material breach of its contract with Puzo. Anthony Puzo is executor of his father’s estate. To hear Puzo’s attorney tell it, Paramount might have thought it made a smart move, but it was Fredo-smart, because now they are going to the mattresses. “Mario Puzo brought vast wealth to Paramount at a time when they desperately needed it,” said Fields. “Now that he’s gone, Paramount’s trying to deprive his children of the rights he specifically reserved. I promised Mario I’d protect his kids from this kind of reprehensible conduct. Paramount wanted a war, and they’re going to get one — only the stakes will be much higher than they thought.”
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Love It. If Bert Fields wrote the original contract, you can be sure he’ll wipe the floor with the entire Par biz affairs team. They might as well settle now, before he makes them open up their books on the GODFATHER films. “Leave the gun, bring the cannolis. And Bert Fields.”
Bert Field’s…Once Brad Grey’s lawyer, now his adversary. How the world turns.
Yikes. I don’t know how that apostrophe got in there in Bert’s name.
Im a firm believer in not messing with a classic but if paramount CEO Brad Grey was smart he would nab up film rights to this book instead of fighting its publishing bec. theoretically this great book really has the potential to reinvigorate the franchise, bringing back the old fans of the original trilogy while sparking interest in the younger demographic leading to a potential box office hit, while spiking up Dvd sales of the original classic,francis coppola could make his comeback by directing it…. just a thought…
Agreed.
If Fields wins this lawsuit, he should push for a clause severing all “Godfather” Trade Mark and material rights from paramount pictures moving forward, then flip the movie rights of this book to another studio, there will be interested buyers, no doubt…..
“This great book”? You’re talking about something that hasn’t been released yet, right? You’ve read an early copy, have you?
With Coppola at the helm and Puzo still alive, Godfather III was a weak addition to the first two great films. So I’m not sure why anyone thinks, with Puzo dead and the original actors all aged out of their roles, a fourth film would be worth a damn.
Let it go.
Turning this book into a film can give the franchise a fresh perspective, its not like it would bring al pacino back to life, but rather a new saga
Interesting test case here. That’s a potentially clear cut case of libel against one of Hollywood’s most notorious litigators.
Goin’ to the mats, great headline, Bernie Brillstein would have loved it, he told Ovitz that one time.
I am on Anthony Puzo’s side on this one. In my opinion, a new Godfather movie could be made with this upcoming novel “The Family Corleone” and I think Paramount Pictures is shooting themselves in the foot on this one.
I hope Anthony Puzo gets all the rights to allow the release of this new novel AND if his heart desires to do so, I hope Puzo will have the authority to the movie rights as well and be able to shop around for a studio to make The Godfather prequel.
god damn he’s a bad ass
Would not want to be on the Paramount legal team right now.
personally, i can attest to the fact that bert and mario were very good friends.
Sofia Coppola could direct the movie of the new book…
why? just because her name is coppola?
Who at Paramount will wake up with a horse’s head in their bed?
Who at Paramount will end up sleeping with the fishes?
Will Sumner Redstone be given an offer he can’t refuse?
Its called freedom of speach because bert is a public figure, and because its true.Who’s he going to Sue? The chat room? The internet? This whole suit will just be a negotiation.
Someone call in the Rozatto brothers to settle this.
…a negotiation where Paramount gets hammered.
It will only bring attention to the Godfather film series, and will benefit Paramount greatly in the long run. Even if the new novel blows ass, the publicity behind its release will garner new interest in the older pictures.
They’re being very “short” sighted, but that’s expected from the ceo of Paramount.
..then again, there was that sequel to Gone With The Wind written in the mid 80s….I don’t think anyone snapped up THOSE film rights
-RnsW
“Scarlett”, the authorized sequel, was made into a mini-series in 1994 starring Joanne Whalley, Timothy Dalton and a cast of thousands.
I’ve read an advance review copy of the new novel, The Family Corleone, and it’s terrific. See the pre-publication reviews on Amazon. They agree. And it’s got great movie written all over it. Paramount was probably angling for film rights and now they’ve got a war with Bert Fields.
Hasn’t the Paramount legal team taken enough of a beating from Bert Fields who is Tom Cruise’s lawyer? Good plan: Piss off the lawyer on your biggest movie of the year, Mission Impossible. Meanwhile, make sure to piss off the Godfather fans who will think this is some kind of corporate threat to one of the most beloved film franchises of all time.
LOL! so Parmount going try make Mario Puzo heirs offer they can’t refuse?
if Mario actually carved out and retained sequel book rights, Paramount is fighting an uphill battle. guess i’ll have to assume there’s more to it than just a simple reading of an option / purchase agreement (and possible amendments) circa 1970.
Paramount is going to lose a lot of goodwill (if that means anything anymore). Douchey move.
Bert Fields will come at them with everything he’s got but lets not underestimate the Paramount people. I just don’t understand why Puzo can’t make a sequel, 3 disappointing prequels wasn’t enough? C’mon Anthony, you know there is something out there. Take it to the future, for crying out loud.