HBO’s Legal Quagmire

Media Mondays, Netflix Vibe Shift, & Elon Elon Elon!

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to what’s new at Puck.

Today, Eriq Gardner reports on the entertainment law fracas that has everyone in Hollywood on edge: If former Lakers star Jerry West sues HBO (and David Zaslav, and Adam McKay) for defamation, could he take the entire biopic industrial complex down with him?

Plus, below the fold, Matt Belloni reveals how the Great Netflix Correction has some Hollywood executives wondering if the industry prematurely pulled the plug on the theatrical business. And Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby discuss the inside story behind Zaz’s decision to kill off CNN+.

Lastly, mark your calendars for a special Elon Musk-themed Twitter Spaces tomorrow night with Kara Swisher and William D. Cohan, who presciently anticipated Musk’s buyout strategy every step of the way.

Inside HBO’s Lakers Headache

NBA legend Jerry West is demanding a retraction over Winning Time and is hinting at a lawsuit. He’d probably lose, but an industry-shaking upset could depend on… Netflix.

ERIQ GARDNER

In Hollywood, there’s a market for peace of mind. The product is called “life rights,” which unlike copyrights, trademarks, and patents, is not recognized by any specific statute. Life rights are really just a promise not to sue over a movie or TV show. Plus, people who sell life rights might offer some cooperation on the publicity front. But it’s really not legally necessary to buy these rights. Again, it’s for peace of mind. It can be a shakedown for agents who represent the famous, the accidentally and fleetingly famous (think rescued Chilean miners), and the notorious (e.g. Anna Sorokin).

Not all studios buy life rights before proceeding with a biopic. And some famous individuals have no interest—no matter the financial offer—in being fictionalized. Alas, occasionally, amid the sea of movies and TV shows “based on true events” (Hulu’s The Dropout and Pam & Tommy, AppleTV+’s WeCrashed, Showtime’s SuperPumped, to name a few recent standouts), someone threatens to sue.

That’s what NBA legend Jerry West has done in response to Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty…

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Movie Theater Mojo

The Great Netflix Correction is forcing Hollywood to rethink the “all-in” strategy for streaming. It’s not nearly a reversal of fortunes, but it’s definitely a vibe shift.

MATTHEW BELLONI