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Millions of Dollars Ride on Whether Latest 'Wall Street' Film Is a 'Spinoff' or 'Sequel'

By Bruce Carton

In 1987, Michael Douglas starred as Gordon Gekko in the famous film "Wall Street." Twenty-three years later, Douglas is starring in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," which follows Gekko after his release from prison after serving time for the insider trading that occurred in the first movie ("Blue Horseshoe Loves Anacott Steel!"). In the decades between the two movies, Douglas divorced his wife, Diandra, and their divorce settlement provided that she was entitled to money from "spinoffs" of work created when the couple was married. Now, THR, Esq. reports Diandra is claiming that she is entitled to money from "Money Never Sleeps," but Douglas argues that the new film isn't a "spinoff" but rather a "sequel." THR, Esq. believes this is an interesting legal issue, as the the divorce agreement doesn't define what "spinoff" means. As discussed in the video below, movies that take a storyline and move it into a new timeframe are generally regarded as "sequels," not spinoffs, but the meaning of this language may ultimately be determined by a court. Check out the video discussing this dispute below.

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on July 06, 2010 (boomark / email).