Finally bringing the universe to its rightful place after the whole shebang seemed to be crumbling in on itself with the reality-crushing news that someone, somehow thought it would be a good idea to make a sequel to Raging Bull, MGM is now suing the producers of Raging Bull II and demanding an immediate halt in production.

Jake LaMotta, the boxer upon whom the original Raging Bull is based (starring Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese) has developed the sequel with new producers, and the flick I currently being shot on the Universal lot, with William Forsythe taking over the acting duties from Robert De Niro (because De Niro and Forsyth look so much alike).  And it appears that, much like the rest of the entire planet, MGM isn’t happy with the idea of a Raging Bull II, and is hitting back hard.

Apparently, the lawsuit stems from LaMotta’s original, 1976 contract with United Artists (currently owned by MGM), which states that United Artists (and, therefore, MGM) is the “successor-in-interest” for any sequel to Raging Bull.  Meaning, then, that MGM gets rights of first refusal to any project La Motta writes concerning his career as a boxer.

MGM is also stating that Raging Bull II tarnishes the value of the original film, which /Film notes is a “standard copyright-infringement argument.”  MGM alleges that it has been trying to contact LaMotta and the producers of Raging Bull II, but without success.  MGM is seeking “punitive and exemplary damages and more awarded sufficient to punish the RB II defendants and to deter those who would commit or knowingly seek to profit from similar actions, now or in the future.”

What do you think of the Raging Bull II news?

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