43 replies to this topic

[Blue Eyes]

From Ananova http://www.ananova.c.../sm_505105.html

A row has broken out between the makers of James Bond and Austin Powers about the name of the new spoof spy film.

It was due to be called Austin Powers 3: Goldmember.

But MGM and the company that controls the Bond film licence have obtained a cease-and-desist order against New Line Cinema.

MGM are said to be unhappy about the double entendre of Goldmember and think it's too close to Goldfinger, reports www.eonline.com.

MGM/UA and Danjaq have a zero-tolerance policy towards anyone who tries to trade in on the James Bond franchise without authorisation, says an MGM spokesperson.

New Line say they are trying to resolve the dispute but for the moment the film will be known as the third instalment of Austin Powers.

[Bender]

From the reports I read, and pictures I have seen, it sounds like a little more then the title this time though. Hell, they couldn't even make an original Poster for Goldmember, they have to rip FYEO. B. Knowles looks alot like Rosie Carver from LALD.

I think i am on MGM's side, this is a buisness, above Bond, above the fans, above everything, they are just a buisness trying to make money. They are a "Big" company, they are not going to let someone else make money off thier product.
COME ON MIKE, COME UP WITH AN ORIGINAL IDEA! But then again, there are still 17 more Bond titles you can switch around to make another movie, so we might be in for a long ride.

[White Persian]

It's a fine line between parody and rip off. But surely A.P. is clearly parody. What next- MGM banning Mad's movie sendups of Bond?
Since the Bond and Austin Powers audience overlap to a large degree, MGM could be well be shooting themselves in the foot.
It'd be different if A.P were appropriating the plot of Bond 20, but a forty year old movie? C'mon. Goldmember could only have people checking the original out for comparison. and increase awareness of Bond20.

[Jim]

Alternatively, it's a rather barbed comment about how memorable the earlier Bond films such as Goldfinger were, compared to the current product. Everyone recognises the name Goldfinger, the Golden Girl, Oddjob, the DB5.

A spoof on Mr Stamper wouldn't really work.

The subliminal message being that anything worth spoofing in Bond happened roughly forty years ago. A little cruel. Might be right, but a little cruel nonetheless.

And here are EON investing muchly cash which would otherwise feed many starving kiddies in a film to persuade us that James Bond 007 is not a Sixties anachronism, and up pops Austin Powers to wee-wee all over that.

[Evil Doctor Cheese]

Can somebody answer me this...

How close to the plot of Goldfinger is the story of AP3?

[James Page]

Evil Doctor Cheese (29 Jan, 2002 06:28 p.m.):
Can somebody answer me this...

How close to the plot of Goldfinger is the story of AP3?

Summary:
Austin continues the fight of good vs. evil against Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard while falling in love with the beautiful Foxy Cleopatra and making a new enemy: Goldmember.

Plot:
Dr. Evil and Mini-Me have somehow escaped from a maximum security prison and the duo team up with Goldmember. Together they formulate a plan for world domination. And this particular scheme requires a large amount of time-travel, and kidnapping Austin Powers' father, England's master spy, Nigel Powers. As Austin chases Dr. Evil, Mini-Me and Goldmember through time, he stops in 1975 to "connect" with an old girlfriend, detective Foxy Cleopatra, and requests her help to track the villains and save his father.

Cast:
Mike Myers .... Austin Powers/"Past" Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Fat Bastard/Goldmember
Michael York .... Basil Exposition
Beyonc

[Mister Asterix]

I can see why they are suing that's exactly like Goldfinger. I mean right down to the part where Bond time travelled and had to save his father as played by Michael Caine.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Mister Asterix (29 Jan, 2002 07:59 p.m.):
I can see why they are suing that's exactly like Goldfinger. I mean right down to the part where Bond time travelled and had to save his father as played by Michael Caine.

Damn it, that's my fanfic!!!

I'm gonna sue too.

[Jim]

The probable result of this is that any Goldmember merchandise will be far more valuable in years to come than any Bond 20 merchandise.

Pockets lined ahoy!

[Evil Doctor Cheese]

That is so crappy! The plot is nothing like Goldfinger! I wonder if the world domination thing involves gold? I love the sound of this film even more than Bond 20!!! Well New Line are countering.... I think they'll win but I reckon MGM just don't want New Line to promote Goldmember so it becomes a bigger hit than Bond 20. I hope New Line win. Also the news is that Myers won't have to change the name of the character Goldmember just the title. I think the teaser trailer's rip off Goldfinger titles sequence has pissed them off.

[James Page]

Jim (30 Jan, 2002 07:53 a.m.):
The probable result of this is that any Goldmember merchandise will be far more valuable in years to come than any Bond 20 merchandise.

Pockets lined ahoy!

Good job I "snaked" the Goldmember website and have all the piccies, trailers and screensavers then!!!! :-)

[zencat]

It's getting uglier. This from Dark Horizons.

"Austin Powers 3: The mess continues. We know that MGM sent in a cease and desist order to the MPAA about New Line using the title "Goldmember", and we know the board agreed with MGM and New Line asked for an appeal. Now, Variety reports that MGM apparently proposed a deal that if New Line agreed not to open "John Q" the same day as MGM's "Hart's War", it could keep the title - New Line refused, and soon after also lost the appeal. Things could even nastier with word that MGM may sue over the content of the film itself and if that case wins - the studio will either be forced to pay a lot of money directly to the other studio for damages, or pay a lot for some major reshoots of 'Austin 3' and push the project back at least 6 months."


But if Austin 3 was pushed back 6 months that would mean it would open against BOND 20! (Which I could see New Line doing out of spite). Or, we might see New Line move the release date of the second Lord of the Rings to Nov. 22 to rain on Bond 20's opening weekend. Not good.

[Blue Eyes]

It's getting very very ugly Zencat, you're right. Bond 20 up against LOTR. Sorry Bond, very little hope. As much as Bond is a giant, so is LOTR. But LOTR has the novelty of being only three films and still very new! The novelty is yet to wear off and this will reflect majorly at the box-office.

Now I read another report on the event. New Line apparently offered to MGM a deal which would see the trailer of Bond 20 play before both Goldmember and LOTR!

MGM, if you really got that deal, wake up! Goldmember is going to no damange to Bond 20. And if you put the trailer before it, Bond 20 will be even bigger.

But New Line have the power to screw around with Bond. They have AP and LOTR. That's a pretty big box office.

New Line have something to offer. Accept it. Don't kick a gift horse in the mouth. Otherwise ye may incur the wrath of Sauron and not just Blofeld.

[Blue Eyes]

A movie industry panel has officially granted James Bond a license to kill the title of the next Austin Powers movie.

In a decision handed down Thursday, the Motion Picture Association of America pointedly rejected New Line Cinema's appeal to overturn an earlier arbitration ruling barring the studio from using the title Austin Powers in Goldmember for the third installment of Mike Myers' shagadelic spy series.

The unanimous decision from the MPAA (with love) effectively eliminates New Line's existing marketing campaign for its dentally challenged International Man of Mystery. Last week, the studio scrambled to recall all promo materials--including movie posters and trailers--and the final ruling now renders them obsolete. (That means eBay entrepreneurs are already auctioning off Goldmember posters as instant collector's items.)

But the battle of Bond and Powers didn't have to end that way.

New Line went to MGM, the studio behind Bond, and asked if they could work things out to salvage the Goldmember name. According to initial trade reports, MGM responded with a plot worthy of Dr. Evil: New Line could keep the Goldmember title, but in return, New Line would have to reschedule the February 15 release of the Denzel Washington drama John Q. That would leave MGM's Bruce Willis WWII POW flick Hart's War without any major competition for the long Presidents' Day weekend. The trades said New Line ultimately balked at moving John Q.

However, MGM disputes that account. In a press release Friday, the studio says it was New Line that proposed to move John Q and MGM turned it down.

"At all times, MGM maintained that it would not resolve its dispute with New Line in the absence of a substantial cash license payment by New Line at levels comparable to what the Bond films customarily command from promotional partners, whether or not New Line wanted to fulfill its offer to move John Q as part any settlement," MGM's statement reads.

The studio also says the only other offer New Line brought to the table was having Mike Myers host the ABC telecast of Goldfinger later this year and having trailers for the next Bond film attached to prints of New Line's The Lord of the Rings and Austin Powers 3.

Even if the two sides had reached an agreement, it wouldn't have made much difference. The MPAA would have prevented New Line from reapplying for the Goldmember moniker until "on or after June 14, 2002"--a little more than a month before the movie's scheduled opening on July 26, which would have been utterly impractical in terms of marketing the third Austin Powers spoof.

Reps for MGM also said they were groovy with the verdict. "We are gratified that the title issue has been resolved in our favor and we intend to vigorously protect our intellectual property rights in this matter," a studio statement says.

Additionally, Jay Rakow, senior v.p. and general counsel for MGM, said in a separate statement, "MGM will seek monetary penalties pursuant to the terms of the MPAA award, and will take all other appropriate action to continue to protect its intellectual property and its filmmakers."

The dispute between the rival studios came to a head a week ago when MGM protested New Line's use of the Goldmember moniker to the MPAA, alleging it infringed on the studio's copyright for the 1964 classic Goldfinger. The MPAA agreed and ordered New Line to lose Goldmember after finding the studio failed to follow proper regulations in registering the title.

The ruling is directed only at the spoof's moniker and does not affect any of the characters or the plot of the movie, which is a good thing since Austin Powers' main villain in the third installment is named Goldmember. It is possible, however, that if MGM finds any of the film's plot too close for comfort, the MPAA's decision could open the door for further action.

While it would seem that Goldmember is simply a parody of the 007 title and therefore protected under the First Amendment, New Line says it accepts the MPAA decision and will not pursue the matter in court.

"The appeal process has come to a close, and though New Line is disappointed by the MPAA's decision, we will abide by it," says a statement from the studio. "We remain committed to our filmmaker's vision and are moving forward."

For the time being, New Line is simply referring to the film as Austin Powers 3.

Ironically, the decision could come back to haunt MGM. The studio is thinking of reviving its Pink Panther and has been actively trying to lure Myers to take over for Peter Sellers in the role of bumbling Chief Inspector Clouseau. The ill will created by the Goldmember fiasco could sour Myers on MGM.

PATHETIC

On the Ebay topic. Some posters are up around the US$50 mark.

[Jim]

Only business.

One wonders what will happen if New Line exerts revenge and calls Austin Powers 3:Shatterhand, not that the title has anything to do with the film.

[Evil Doctor Cheese]

They're fools if they don't take that offer - without Mike Myers presenting the ABC Goldfinger showing which would only help promote Goldmember. They're not going to get an offer better than that unless MGM get a percentage of Goldmember's box office.

This really is getting very messy and childish.

Atleast it helps us out on the "who'll sing the Bond theme" front... it sure as hell won't be anyone from Warner Bros music!

[Mister Asterix]

It's a little late for the to have Myers introduce Goldfinger on ABC, it is showing this coming Saturday and will be hosted by Robert Wagner and many of the past Bond girls including Honor Blackman, Maude Adams, and Jane Seymour, all from the Playboy Mansion.

[JAWS]

I just watched AVTAK recently, and a stupid thought sprung to my mind: Maybe MGM should sue itself for ripping off Goldfinger themselves, already...with AVTAK.

Thinking of Bond films going up against major competition, I recall that LTK went up against Batman and TND went up against Titanic. Not really making a point, just small talk I guess.

I can hardly wait to see AP3.

[MDSmith]

I watched the Super Bowl last night (GO PATS) and I saw a preview for Goldemember. Goldmember the man looks nothing like Goldfinger. He looks like Myers with white hair on the sides and balding in the middle. He does have gold shorts and a tank top on though, and he was dancing around in a kind of Tae Bo fashion. It looks great. I might add that they only called it Austin Powers Three.

PS Fat Bastard is also in it and they are in some kind of Sumo match like in YOLT.

[Mister Asterix]

7777 (04 Feb, 2002 03:33 p.m.):(edited)
...I might add that they only called it Austin Powers Three.

They didn't even call it that. They never mentioned a title in the entire spot and at the end they just showed a release date.

[James Page]

Mister Asterix (04 Feb, 2002 04:47 p.m.):
They didn't even call it that. They never mentioned a title in the entire spot and at the end they just showed a release date.

"Something. Coming Soon. Maybe Later"

MGM we love you! :-D

[ShockTroop22]

It just goes to show, even outside the movies James Bond still wins. Damn that man is cool, but does he swing like Austin?
BTW i think with all this tension between MGM/Eon and NewLine i think its safe to assume that Brosnan is DEFINATLEY NOT making a cameo. (i know he confirmed the rumours to be false, but hey.)

[Christoph]

Well, I

[James Page]

**

[James Page]

[quote]Christoph (27 Feb, 2002 06:29 p.m.):
Well, I

[JAWS]

[quote]Christoph (27 Feb, 2002 06:29 p.m.):
"Thunderballs"


Good one!

[Christoph]

Do you really think NLC will risk another title, even CLOSER to a Bond title?
Well, duhh.

No, they won

[Jaws]

For Austin Powers 3 why don't they use the title "For Your Ice Only"?

[Jim]

I'm still plumping for On Her Majesty's Secret Cervix.

And you can take that any way you want.

Fnarr.

Oh behave blahblahblah

Just call it "Birds of the West Indies" and then it's a James Bond film, suitable innuendo laden title.

And MGM will implode, their mangy lion will have kittens and various persons' heads will spin orf into orbit.

Which would be fun.

[R]

"MGM are said to be unhappy about the double entendre of Goldmember and think it's too close to Goldfinger"

So where were the MGM legal department when "The Spy Who Shagged Me" came out?