It TV miniseries producer sues Warner Bros for breach of contract, not consulting him on film adaptations

A producer, who adapted Stephen King’s horror novel It for TV in the ’80s, has sued Warner Bros for making It and It: Chapter Two , writes Variety. Larry Sanitsky, who was a part of Telepictures in the 1980s alongside Frank Koningsberg, has filed the case against the studio. [caption id=“attachment_7022121” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from the trailer of It: Chapter Two[/caption] The two acquired the rights to King’s book in the ’80s and developed it into a miniseries for ABC and left the company after it merged with Lorimar. The suit says that following their exit, they signed a deal that promised them backend participation and giving them the rights to be involved in any sequel, spin-off, or remake of the show. Sanitsky’s suit claims that Warner Bros never consulted with him on any of the film adaptations. The studio also stopped issuing profit statements in 1995 and the suit demands 10 percent of net profits the films have made. It, starring Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis, went on to earn $700 million worldwide. The studio owes the producers $1 million in profit participation from the miniseries. Kongsberg and Sanitsky also produced a TV adaptation of King’s science fiction novel The Tommyknockers in the ’90s. Sanitsky now plans to develop it into a film. The final trailer of It: Chapter Two was unveiled at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con. The event was attended by James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Jessica Chastain. It shows the return of Pennywise the Clown (played by Skarsgård) and the grown-up Loser’s Club to Derry. While the King’s books were set between the 50s and 80s, the film takes place in the 80s and present. Thee actors described the intensity of the shoot with director Andy Muschietti, who would not quit until he got the perfect shot. Other cast members include Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean and Teach Grant. It: Chapter Two is scheduled to release on 6 September.