{
  "id": 19906487,
  "title": "New Regency Sues Michael Mann to Reassert Ownership of ‘Heat’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/new-regency-sues-michael-mann-to-reassert-ownership-of-heat",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-14T02:51:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TheWrap",
    "slug": "thewrap",
    "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/new-regency-sues-michael-mann-heat-screenplay/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ahead of the \"Heat\" sequel's production, New Regency filed a lawsuit on Friday aimed at preventing filmmaker Michael Mann from regaining copyright over his original screenplay. In the federal court complaint, New Regency seeks a judge's declaration that Mann's three termination notices to the company are invalid, arguing that the \"Heat\" screenplay is not eligible for copyright termination under 17 U.S.C. § 203. Additionally, New Regency maintains that Regency retains all rights to the screenplay. The studio claims Mann wrote the 1995 crime epic as a \"work made for hire,\" a status that, according to the Copyright Act, makes the screenplay ineligible for termination under Section 203(a). New Regency's spokesperson emphasized that the lawsuit concerns the original and personal writing Mann contributed to multiple screenplays during the 1980s, culminating in the iconic \"Heat.\" The statement assured that the company will vigorously defend the action and expects the courts to uphold Mann's statutory rights under the Copyright Act. It is crucial to note that this matter is unrelated to the production of \"Heat 2,\" which is set to begin shooting on January 19.",
  "summary": "“Michael Mann is exercising the right of authors to reclaim their work and, in this case, [his] original creation,” a spokesperson for the filmmaker says The post New Regency Sues Michael Mann to Reassert Ownership of ‘Heat’ appeared first on TheWrap .",
  "key_points": [
    "New Regency sued Michael Mann to keep 'Heat' copyright.",
    "Mann's 1995 crime epic deemed ineligible for copyright termination.",
    "Suit unrelated to production of Heat 2."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The studio’s legal challenge seeks to lock down intellectual property rights by classifying the screenplay as a work made for hire, potentially stripping the filmmaker of his statutory termination rights.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "New Regency Sues Michael Mann to Retain Rights to ‘Heat’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/new-regency-sues-michael-mann-to-retain-rights-to-heat",
        "published": "2026-11-14T01:35:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}