Weinsteins sue over planned "Crow" remake

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Two Hollywood heavyweights are clawing at each other over a planned remake of "The Crow, "the 1994 film that gained cult status due in part to star Brandon Lee's on-set accidental on-set death.

The Weinstein Co. on Wednesday sued Relativity Media over distribution rights to the remake. Bradley Cooper is in talks to star.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein claim that Relativity breached a 2009 distribution agreement that allegedly gives them the right to release the movie globally. The brothers claim that Relativity chief Ryan Kavanaugh has now been shopping distribution rights elsewhere in violation of the deal.

"We have a written contract and we're gonna enforce it," the Weinsteins' attorney, Bert Fields, said in an interview. "We're not going to let these people sell distribution rights."

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks injunctive relief to stop any upcoming sales of distribution rights.

Relativity countered that the lawsuit was "another typical litigation stunt" from brothers who "have a long history of threatening lawsuits with the sole purpose of intimidation."

It also said it would seek "appropriate remedies" for Fields' "false, reckless and intentionally harmful statements to the press."

Based on a gritty black-and-white indie comic by artist James O'Barr, the film revolves around a rock musician who is murdered while trying to save his fiancee from thugs. He is resurrected by supernatural forces and seeks revenge. The original film spawned three sequels and a TV series, each starring a new actor.