Geek Bits: ‘Mockingbird Lane’ Premeire, ‘Chronicle 2’ Sucks, and Princess Who

What would be the gender-bent Disney version of Doctor Who? Will you get to see Mockingbird Lane? Does Marvel own the Avengers? Who is Anakin Skywalker’s real father? All this and more in today’s Geek Bits…

Disney Princesses as Doctor Who…Princess Who? [Via Nerdapproved]

Full – click to enlarge

Stan Lee Company Claims Disney Doesn’t Own Marvel Superheroes

In a potentially groundbreaking lawsuit that could end up costing billions of dollars, Stan Lee Media, Inc. is suing Disney, claiming that it doesn’t own the rights to any of Marvel’s superheroes. That includes Iron Man, Spiderman, the Avengers…pretty much any of the heroes Disney has licensed. In 1998, Stan Lee signed over all the rights to his superhero creations to Marvel in exchange for stock options. Disney, in turn, bought Marvel in 2009. However, SLMI is claiming that Stan Lee himself didn’t own the rights to the characters:

Oddly, in November, 1998, Stan Lee signed a written agreement with Marvel Enterprises, Inc. in which he purportedly assigned to Marvel the rights to the Characters. However, Lee no longer owned those rights since they had been assigned to SLEI previously. Accordingly, the Marvel agreement actually assigned nothing

In case you’re wondering (like I did) why Stan Lee Media has the rights, and Stan Lee the Man doesn’t, it turns out that SLMI is an Internet production company that Lee tried making new ventures with but cut ties with years ago – they just kept his name. This could be huge if SLMI wins, because it would mean Disney would give up the profits to not only Marvel’s toys, videogames, and clothing, but also the movie profits, including The Avengers.

Oddsmakers: What are the odds that Disney will lose this lawsuit?

“Munsters” Reboot to Air on October 26

As we previously reported, NBC passed on the Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane, but we’ll still get to see it. The series was intended to be a dramatic take on the original comedy, showing a family of man-eating monsters living in surburbia. To recoup some of the costs from the production, NBC plans to air Mockingbird Lane‘s pilot as a one-hour special on October 26.

Will you be watching Mockingbird Lane?

Jedi Weight Lifting – [Via Amanda Blain]

‘Chronicle 2’ Script is Done, but FOX Hated It

I recently reviewed Chronicle, and thought it was pretty good. I’m looking forward to the sequel…or I was, until I read this. It seems the original screenwriter John  Max Landis’ script for Chronicle 2 follows the original faithfully, but took the series into a new direction. It would involve the survivor from the first movie facing off against a real supervillain, while dealing with the fallout from the Seattle disaster. It’s described as amazing, but FOX hates it. They want a new script more like the original. Frankly, I think trying to make a clone of the original would be a mistake. I thought Chronicle was good, but stretched the “found footage” format and low-budget to its limit.

Do you think a sequel should stick to the small-scale of Chronicle or go bigger?

Senator Palpatine is Anakin’s Father

I recently read something shocking in The Secret History of Star Wars. Something that’s been speculated was allegedly spelled out clearly in the original script for Revenge of the Sith. In the scene where Palpatine attempted to turn Anakin, Palpatine originally explained how he used midichlorians to create life specifically, to create Anakin. So Anakin wasn’t born as a Christ-like figure from the Force – Senator Palpatine is Anakin’s father.

Do you think Sith would have been better or worse if Lucas had kept this in?

If Mario Bros was a first-person shooter

UPDATE: Fixed typos and Max Landis’ name

What do you think of today’s round-up?

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