Warner Bros. Pictures has agreed to pay a Georgia-based producer at least $17.5 million for infringing on the copyright to his even-more-obscure 1974 United Artists film, "Moonrunners," which became the basis of the hit Warners TV skein, "The Dukes of Hazzard" reports Variety.
The amount paid to the producer, Robert B. Clark, is more than what the studio spent in talent salaries on the new "Hazzard" pic. However, Warners was faced with a preliminary injunction, which would have canceled the August 5th release of Warner's new "Dukes of Hazzard" feature and seen all copies of the $55 million flick impounded by federal marshals.
What's more, the film's DVD release would have been delayed indefinitely, and its $40 million theatrical marketing budget -- much of that spent on spot TV ads -- would have gone down the drain. Now that the settlement has happened, the studio still plans to move ahead on time with the film's release.
Thanks to 'Cox'.
