(2012) Tags: Dimension
Leeds v. LEEUWEN
Defendant Chako van Leeuwen created the “Piranha” horror/comedy movie franchise. Plaintiff Arthur Leeds helped van Leeuwen obtain financing for the first Piranha movie, released in 1978. Leeds was not involved in the first sequel to Piranha, or a 1995 remake of the original film. In 2004, van Leeuwen approached Leeds about a new Piranha film, and the parties thereafter entered into a written agreement concerning the project. Leeds would receive a producer credit if he obtained financing for “Piranha 3D”. Leeds contends he performed services under that agreement.
Leeds attempted to address his compensation, but it only led to a “rather heated discussion.” On February 2, 2005, attorney Martin Barab wrote to Leeds on behalf of van Leeuwen, advising Leeds that van Leeuwen was “terminating” the 2004 Agreement “for a variety of reasons,” including that Leeds “sought to obtain for [himself] a producing fee of over $200,000.
When van Leeuwen went on to make two new Piranha films (2010’s Piranha 3D and 2012’s Piranha 3DD) without Leeds, he sued van Leeuwen and others for their purported failure to honor the 2004 agreement. Plaintiff asserts that he did not receive his shared executive producer credit, and did not receive any of his producer fees.
Leeds did not learn that either Piranha 3D or 3DD was completed without his participation until the films were released.