Finding out who owes the story rights?

[James Steven Beverly]

I've been wondering how one goes about finding out who owes the story rights for a film's story. I hadn't researched this before because I generally like to write my own stuff but lately I've had some ideas for remaking a few films and it might be nice to find out if the rights are available. It couldn't hurt to have the the information in any event. B)

Edited October 31, 2010 by James Steven Beverly

[Brian Drysdale]

Depends if the film is an adaptation or an original work. If it's the former you'll have to find out the author and who their agent is and the current position regarding the film rights for the story and if you can get an option.

[John Brawley]

I've been wondering how one goes about finding out who owes the story rights for a film's story. I hadn't researched this before because I generally like to write my own stuff but lately I've had some ideas for remaking a few films and it might be nice to find out if the rights are available. It couldn't hurt to have the the information in any event. B)

 

 

Almost all authors have agents who will generally negotiate the rights with anyone interested in buying them.

 

Mostly though you'll find, the rights get sold off long before the book even gets published.

 

jb

[James Steven Beverly]

Well Baby Jane seems to be a low budget comedy, so the rights to What Ever Happened To Baby Jane should be getable. I see this project as what it was, a psychological horror/thriller in it's purest sense only with modern sensibility and perhaps a few plot points altered for a new audience.

 

I also see Plan 9 from Outer Space as a Zombie movie. I've had this haunting idea of vindicating Ed Wood by turning this film into a GOOD movie. It occurred to me that Plan 9 from Outer Space was one of the first zombie movies, predating Night of the Living Dead by a full 10 years. I think I can do something with that. Where would one look? B)