Q&A: How do you get permission for an adaptation to film concerning a famous character or franchise?

Question by Berlynn: How do you get permission for an adaptation to film concerning a famous character or franchise?
I am very confused why certain people are allowed to reinterpret characters or franchises in film over others. How does a person like Zack Snyder for example, get permission to make a Dawn of the Dead remake after only directing two movies? Was he just a really rich kid who could afford the rights or was he asked to do it because of his talent?

I hope there are other ways to be given access to a franchise other than plunking down the cash for the rights. I’ve asked my film professors about this but they mostly know historical and analytical stuff about film, nothing logistical and practical about the industry.

I’d love to adapt certain video games into movies for example. But I know that even if my version of Resident Evil was better than the junk directed by Paul Anderson (despite access to a million dollar range budget) I would get sued.

So any practical explanations of the process? Obviously everyone wants to make a movie about Batman but I don’t think only rich people should.

Best answer:

Answer by Clancy the Wonder Pony
Wow, this is going to be complicated.

> I am very confused why certain people are allowed to reinterpret characters or franchises in film over others.

It’s not that simple, actually. People aren’t just “allowed” to use characters or franchises, and “over others” is a big simplification. First, there’s the matter of who has the rights to a character – that’s the biggest issue. The person who wrote the story that created the characters or franchise is the person who has all the power over how they’re used… until someone decides to invest a few million bucks to make the movie. At that point a little ownership changes hands. The people investing the money have a lot to say over who gets to have creative input into the project.

> How does a person like Zack Snyder for example, get permission to make a Dawn of the Dead remake after only directing two movies?

Without knowing Snyder or any of the people involved, all I can say is that it seems that it seems that he *really* impressed the people who were in charge of the show. It’s not a case of Snyder “getting permission” as much as it’s a case of the people who control the rights to “Dawn…” saying “He’s the guy! Let him direct it!” The fact that someone directs a movie doesn’t mean that they have any stake in the rights to the characters at all. Look at the 007 films, for example. There have been a ton of directors of those films and not one of them had any stake in the franchise other than directing the one film they were on.

> I hope there are other ways to be given access to a franchise other than plunking down the cash for the rights.

There are basically three ways. 1) You’re impressive and talented and the people who own the rights to the character say “You’re the one!” 2) You have so much money that you can go to the rights-holders and say “Here’s a billion dollars, I’m going to make “Toy Story 6, is that a problem?” and 3) It’s a character/franchise that you created and it’s so cool that you say to the studio “I made it, it’s mine, I direct it!” and they’re soooo enamoured of your idea that they just have to say “yes.”

(The secret 4th option is to make a film based on a character so old that it’s in the public domain. Sherlock Holmes, for example, is all yours.)

> I’ve asked my film professors about this but they mostly know… nothing logistical and practical about the industry.

No disrespect to your professors, but I do. 😉

> I’d love to adapt certain video games into movies for example.

You and me both. The “Tomb Raider” series should have equaled Bond, in my opinion.

> But I know that even if my version of Resident Evil was better than the junk directed by Paul Anderson (despite access to a million dollar range budget) I would get sued.

Which brings us back again to the whole concept of underlying rights. It’s complicated and annoying, but vital to the process.

> So any practical explanations of the process?

I hope I’ve helped.

> Obviously everyone wants to make a movie about Batman but I don’t think only rich people should.

And there’s the sticking point. You can either be so impressive that the people who own “Batman” can’t do without you or you can buy your way in. Outside of that you can create something as cool as Batman and hope they want to take your idea and put Batman’s name on it.

Simple, no?

Give your answer to this question below!