A BASEBALL legend’s sons are being sued for millions of dollars after two producers attempted to make a biopic about their father.
Roberto Clemente’s sons, Roberto Jr. and Luis, were named in a $5 million lawsuit after two producers accused their family of selling the rights to the baseball legend’s life story twice.
The sons of Outfielder Roberto Clemente are being sued for $5 millionCredit: Getty
Producers Jonah Hirsch and Angel Munoz claimed that the family had sold the rights to Clemente’s life twiceCredit: Getty
Producers Jonah Hirsch and Angel Munoz announced last year that they would be working on a biopic that was based on the family-written biography, Clemente: The True Legacy of an Undying Hero.
The film was supposed to showcase the baseball player’s life story and his fight for Latin American equality and social justice.
The two producers revealed to Deadline, that the two sons were set to be executive producers on the film.
“At a time when most heroes are fictional characters, we couldn’t think of a better time to elevate and reintroduce Clemente’s heroic story to a new generation,” Hirsch and Munoz said in a joint statement to the outlet.
However, things quickly turned sour after the pair found out that Thomas Tull, the former CEO of Legendary Pictures, was developing a movie about the baseball player as well, according to Variety.
The family was said to have optioned off the rights to Clemente’s life in 2015.
However, it was stated in the lawsuit that the family quickly ran into issues with Legendary Pictures.
The family had claimed that the company wanted to use a biography written by a different author, and they were said to have been treated poorly during the process.
It was also added that Legendary Pictures “made lots of promises but never proceeded with development of a film,” according to the lawsuit.
The Clemente family claimed that Legendary Pictures failed to actually make a payment, causing the life rights to come back to them.
However, this was said to be untrue per the lawsuit.
Now Tull, who left Legendary Pictures in 2017, still plans to develop the project through his company, Teton Ridge.
The sons tried to resolve the issue, but the deal ultimately fell through.
Roberto Jr. and Luis, as well as their family agent, CMG Worldwide, agreed to refund the producers their full $60,000 option price, according to the lawsuit.
However, the producers believe they are owed at least $5 million in damages for trying to get the movie together, as well as reputation damages, and out-of-pocket expenses.
CMG released a statement to Variety following the news of the lawsuit.
“CMG Worldwide denies all baseless allegations made by Inside the Park,” the company said.
“Our only regret is engaging with ‘producers,’ likely boasting more lawsuits than successful films.
“We are eager to litigate these ludicrous claims and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to preserving the legacy of one of the greatest Hispanic icons of all time.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to CMG for comment.
