Friday the 13th: Lawyer Shelly reveals why legal battle isn’t all Victor Miller
By Joey Click
Friday the 13th Part III’s Larry Zerner is now an entertainment lawyer and explaining why the franchise’s ongoing halt isn’t really Victor Miller’s fault.
The future of Friday the 13th is in limbo. But the man getting all the hate isn’t entirely at fault…
A few days ago, Gun Media began crumbling fans everywhere by announcing an indefinite halt on new Friday the 13th: The Game DLC. With the Grendel map and Uber Jason on the way, the news was devastating to fans — myself somewhere close to the top of the list.
After fans began hurling insults toward original writer Victor Miller, who’s fighting for ownership, things got ugly. You see, this lawsuit’s been going on for some time and is now effecting everything the franchise touches. While it’s easy to blame Miller, this quick judgement is ill-informed. According to Bloody-Disgusting, Part III’s Larry Zerner, who’s now an entertainment lawyer, is explaining on Twitter how Miller’s not necessarily the one to blame.
Thread: With the announcement by @Friday13thGame that they won't be adding new content to the game because of the ongoing lawsuit between Sean Cunningham and Victor Miller, I've seen a lot of people dragging Victor online as if this is his fault. It's not. 1/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) June 13, 2018
In the case of Victor Miller, he was originally paid about $9,500 for the original Friday the 13th script, which turned into 12 movies, a very successful video game and lots of Jason Voorhees merchandise. This franchise Victor helped create made hundreds of millions of $$$ 3/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) June 13, 2018
The way it usually works in these cases is that the producer and the terminating writer will then have the two year period to work out a deal on how the money will be split on future projects (the termination does not affect movies already completed) 5/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) June 13, 2018
But instead of making a deal, Sean sued Victor, claiming that the agreement that Victor signed in 1979 is not terminable. And the fact is that this is a very new area of law, so there is not a lot of guidance for judges on who is right. 7/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) June 13, 2018
I'm sure that everyone involved believed that there would be a trial long before the termination occurred. I know it's frustrating for the fans who want new movies and more content. But to blame it all on Victor is unfair. 9/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) June 13, 2018
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Thanks Larry. Who knew Shelly would put down his bag of gags and pick up a law book or two?
While admittedly a little confused about the lawsuit, I’m now angry with Sean Cunningham. Miller isn’t denying what the 1979 agreement states, the writer is simply trying to get a piece of what he helped create. Sure, it’s a burdon on fans who made this into what is it but there isn’t a single person who wouldn’t be doing as Miller is. He’s just trying to get a fair share.
Moreover, maybe Sean should have been thinking about fans when he let Gun Media have to the game rights while knowing of the lawsuit. He’s known for two years a deal between the two was necessary for the series to continue smoothly — yet he’s foolishly suing. So instead of directing your frustration at Miller, send it to the man who is just delaying the inevitable.
Next: The crazy reason Jamie Lee Curtis returned to Halloween
Fan of the Friday the 13th franchise? Hoping the lawsuit settles soon? Let the other slashers know what you think in the comment section below.