Things are really heating up between plaintiffs that have filed lawsuits and AMC over The Walking Dead.
You read that right as numerous lawsuits have been filed against AMC by first showrunner Frank Darabont and producers Gale Anne Hurd, Glen Mazzara and David Alpert, in addition to executive producer and creator Robert Kirkman.
Frank Darabont and his lawyers recently conducted an audit of The Walking Dead and AMC where it was allegedly discovered:
The audit allegedly revealed that AMC is only reporting 20 percent of the revenue it has received from Apple for iTunes sales of Walking Dead; that AMC is charging too much in distribution fees for Fox’s sub-distribution of Walking Dead in the international and home video markets; that AMC has failed to account for certain product integration fees from Gerber and Hyundai; that the Sundance International Channel, another AMC affiliate, is paying below-market license fees for Walking Dead; that distribution and administration fees are being charged with respect to the music in the show; that expenses include such things as a $37,600 Comic-Con banner with an invoice showing just half that amount; and much more.
Long story short, the lawsuits are claiming that AMC has been self-dealing and not paying the producers what they should be getting, and AMC is said to have been hiding the evidence.
Again, THR has a longer report on the matter, but lawyers for AMC have responded and released a statement blasting the lawsuits:
AMC attorney Orin Snyder sent The Hollywood Reporter a statement Thursday in response to the complaint: “At the heart of this lawsuit — and all the litigation related to ‘The Walking Dead’ — is the greed of CAA. Their goal is every dollar for themselves, with total disregard for contracts, clients, fairness or even basic decency. AMC was the only network willing to take a risk on ‘The Walking Dead,’ after many others passed. AMC has been an honest steward of the series and has paid all of its creative partners handsomely and appropriately. This is just another opportunistic lawsuit orchestrated by the most powerful lawyers and Hollywood agents seeking an unjustified windfall and we are confident that it will be defeated in court.”
