Paramount Fighting ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Sequel

Producers said that the rights were in the public domain. Wrong, original studio says

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The studio that owns the rights to the 1946 Jimmy Steward classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” does not think a sequel is such a wonderful idea.

Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions announced Monday that they hope to reunite surviving members of the original cast to make a sequel about George Bailey’s grandson, under the assumption that the rights to “It’s a Wonderful Life” were in the public domain.

Nice try, Paramount shot back.

“No project relating to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ can proceed without a license from Paramount,” the studio said in a statement Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “To date, these individuals have not obtained any of the necessary rights, and we would take all appropriate steps to protect those rights.”

Director Frank Capra’s son thinks his father never would have approved a sequel. “If he was still alive, he would have called it ludicrous,” Capra said. “Then, I think we would have called his lawyer. Why would you even attempt to make a sequel to such a classic film?”

[AP]