'Bohemian Rhapsody' Screenwriter Settles Profits Lawsuit Over Alleged Bait-and-Switch

[ificandream]

By Winston Cho/The Hollywood Reporter

Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten has settled a lawsuit alleging he hasn’t seen his share of profits from the hit Freddie Mercury biopic despite it earning more than $900 million at the box office.

McCarten on Oct. 31 moved to dismiss the lawsuit against producer GK Films. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

The two-time Academy Award nominee (Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything) received the sole “screenplay by” credit on the movie. Under his deal with GK Films, he’s entitled to “[a]n amount equal to 5% of 100%” of net proceeds, which was defined as the company’s standard definition, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021.

But McCarten alleged he hasn’t gotten any profits, with accounting statements issued by Fox’s 20th Century Studios showing a $51 million deficit for the movie. He took issue with the computation of net proceeds under Fox’s standard definition rather than GK Films’. As a result, distribution fees, which are typically deducted, ate away at his share.

Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bohemian-rhapsody-screenwriter-settles-profits-lawsuit-1235636661/