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 A spokeswoman for Paramount Pictures, who owns the rights to "It's a
Wonderful Life," said Wednesday that the studio would fight a group
of producers who are working on a follow-up to the 1946 holiday
classic. Directed by Frank Capra, the film stars James Stewart as
George Bailey, a desperate family man who imagines during Christmas
time what his town would be like if he'd never been born.
"No project relating to 'It's a Wonderful Life' can proceed without
a license from Paramount," the studio noted in a statement after
Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions announced their sequel
plans Monday. "To date, these individuals have not obtained any of
the necessary rights, and we would take all appropriate steps to
protect those rights."
The Internet collectively groaned this week when Bob Farnsworth,
president of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hummingbird Productions, and
Allen J. Schwalb, president of Orlando, Fla.-based Star Partners,
unveiled their pitch for "It's a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the
Story," a follow-up that would focus on Bailey's unlikable
grandson.
"This can't be real," many tweeted.
"Please don't," posted others.
"Maybe George Bailey should have killed himself after all," said one
blogger.
Soon celebrities were chiming in:
"I don't know if they have a title yet, but if not, I have a
suggestion. I would call it 'It's a Terrible Idea,'" joked Jimmy
Kimmel.
"Stop messing with classics, people! What's next? 'Gone with the
Wind 2'?" pondered Andy Cohen.
"It would've been better if we'd never been born," tweeted comedian
John Fugelsang.
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 Farnsworth and Schwalb said the film would star Karolyn Grimes, who
played Bailey's daughter in the original film, as an angel who comes
to the aide of her nephew. They also said they were in talks with
other surviving cast members to return. The producers estimated it
would cost between $25 million and $32 million, far less than many Hollywood
remakes and sequels. Apparently, Farnsworth and Schwalb, who did not
return messages seeking comment for this story, forgot one important
detail: They didn't ask the film's owner for legal permission.
Farnsworth previously told The Hollywood Reporter trade publication
that the rights to "It's a Wonderful Life" were in the public
domain.
Not quite.
While a lapsed copyright led TV stations in the
1970s, '80s and early '90s to repeatedly broadcast the film,
Paramount has controlled the rights for the past 14 years, after it
acquired Republic Pictures as part of its purchase of Spelling
Entertainment in 1999. Paramount has since licensed the film to NBC,
which airs it sparingly during the holidays.
Farnsworth and Schwalb not only lacked the blessing of Paramount —
and fans everywhere — their proposed idea for a sequel also isn't
supported by the family of Frank Capra, who died in 1991.
Capra's son, Tom Capra, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that
the family hadn't been contacted by Farnsworth and Schwalb about the
sequel, a project they believe their father would have never
approved.
"If he was still alive, he would have called it ludicrous," said
Capra. "Then, I think we would have called his lawyer. Why would you
even attempt to make a sequel to such a classic film?"
[Associated
Press; DERRIK J. LANG]
Follow AP Entertainment
Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/derrikjlang.
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