Alex Cox vs Universal on REPO CHICK

By Karina Longworth posted 6 months ago

Today’s Venice Film Festival announcement included mention of a film called Repo Chick, directed by Alex Cox. The film is not listed on IMDb, but it would seem reasonable to assume that it’s a sequel to Cox’s 1984 cult classic Repo Man, no? As Cox writes on his blog, “It isn’t really; it’s a story of different characters in a different world” — but that hadn’t stopped Universal, the studio that owns the 1984 film, from issuing a cease and desist, claiming that Cox has made “an illegal sequel” to their property.

Cox had decided to ignore the filing and continue work on the movie — there is apparently significant effects work to finish up in the month left before its Venice premiere — until receiving news that Universal had their own Repo action up their sleeves. They’ve apparently taken a Jude Law film called The Repossession Mambo off their shelf, finished two years ago and left mysteriously in their vault ever since, and have announced plans to rush it into release under the title Repo Men (according to this story, it’s actually Repo Men!, jaunty exclamation point required). Cox is convinced this is an attempt to confuse audiences, distracting them from his non-sequel to Repo Man with a non-sequel of their own. He writes:

I still have a contract with these guys and - if they ever want to make a film based on my original work - they have to ask me to direct it. What fun that would be! … I’m sure [The Repossession Mambo] is an excellent film, which Universal accidentally forgot to distribute, and now are passing off, in their innocence, as the new Repo Man. Only a cynical person might see any attempt to catch the upward draft of Repo Chick, and give loft to a turkey.

What do we think: dasterdly intellectual property violation or unfortunate coincidence?

7 Comments

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alex cox, jude law, repo chick, repo man, repo men, the repossession mambo, venice film festiva

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Simon Abrams said 6 months ago
I remember seeing references to REPO CHICK before as a REPO MAN sequel so I can’t help but feel Cox is just trying to avoid giving Universal anything.

I mean, he already did a graphic novel sequel called WALDO’S HAWAIIAN VACATION, which ducked the whole issue by having recurring REPO MAN characters change their names after a period of amnesia. REPO CHICK I suspect may not have the same protags but will have overlaps at the very least so to say it’s a sequel isn’t that far off.
Otto said 6 months ago
Sequel or no sequel, the Repo Man world and all its characters are entirely the creation of Alex Cox, whether or not the property “belongs” to Universal. What a bunch of legal, corporate bullshit.
The man made a movie over 20 years ago. Universal paid for it and profited from it. Case closed. If Alex Cox wants to make an independent movie now, on similar themes or with similar characters (and probably drawn from some of the same life experiences on which he based the original film), why should UNiversal interfere?
There is far too much legal grab-ass in Hollywood. There ought to be a ban on non-creative people there.
Jake Freivald said 6 months ago
The Repossession Mambo hasn’t been on the shelf for two years. I’m not sure where that information came from. Maybe there’s some confusion between it and Repo! The Genetic Opera, which was released a while back? The RtGO fans swear it’s a ripoff of *their* movie, which is simply false, as should be obvious to anyone who watches their movie and reads the novel.

The author of the novel on which it’s based is a friend of mine — Forest Whitaker’s character has my name, in fact — and he was also one of the screenwriters. As I understand it, they were still doing post-production work late last year. If anything, they’re slightly delayed the release.
artnam said 6 months ago
Universal and all other studios, networks, labels are all the same. Non-human monoliths that attempt to enslave, extort, steal, seduce, leech, dominate, coerce and control artists. It has happened before with labels telling the likes of John Fogerty that they owned the sound of his voice; networks taking over successful shows and running them into the ground; and studios burying films like Repo Man, that were brought into the company’s fold by the “just fired” previous administration. That is what happened to Repo Man. Universal hated it, didn’t understand it’s audience or appeal and did their best to kill it and a few other movies, like Louis Malle’s Crackers. Basically political bs. Yet Repo Man has made Universal a lot of money over the years. You’d think that they would have been happy to have another Alex Cox “Repo” movie. Instead, they attempt to pre-empt Repo Chick by changing the title of Repossession Mambo to Repo Men. What a joke.

Always side with the artist over the corporation.

Artnam
artnam said 6 months ago
By the way, Repossession Mambo started production in October 2007. Universal has slated Repossession Mambo to be released in 2010, sometime. So, it will be well over two years since Repossession Mambo was finished and subsequently released. It is now August. So, Alex Cox is not that far off. This Jake guy is posting all over that Repossession Mambo is not as old as it is being reported. He even admits that he has a friend that worked on Repossession Mambo. So, his defensiveness can be chalked up to blind friendship. The truth is the truth.

Always side with the artist over the corporation.

Artnam
artnam said 5 months ago
REPO CHICK is now listed on imdb.com. Take a look to see that there are many Alex Cox veterans in front of, as well as, behind the camera. REPO CHICK has been officially accepted to this year’s Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, where it will have its World Premiere on September 8, 2009, @ 8 p.m. Venice time. REPO CHICK may have its American Premiere at AFI Fest in late September, early October.

Artnam
Scottjm said 4 months ago
Repo Chick interview with Alex Cox - Check it - http://turfhugger.blogspot.com/2009/09/anti-golf-hits-venice-film-fest_20.html

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