Quentin Tarantino fans, which include GeekShizzle, were so excited when we first caught wind of his western “The Hateful Eight”. Unfortunately the project is now canned due to the script leak which means Tarantino will not pursue the making of the film. Tarantino is waging war against Gawker Media for “promoting itself to the public as the first source to read the entire screenplay illegally”.
Also see: Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ Might Still Happen
We may see the movie someday but for now the “Script Leak War” Has Officially Begun. Speaking to Deadline Tarantino said:
“I could totally change my mind; I own the fu#king thing. But I can tell you, it’s not going to be the next thing I do. It’s my baby, and if the muse calls me later to do it, we’ll do it. I was thinking about the idea of maybe publishing it before I made it, but now that deal happens for sure, and I’m not doing it next. It’s good to know that he’s got another film up his sleeve to give his fans. He’s got the idea ready, and he’s going to get rolling on it. The idea was, I was going to write two scripts. I wasn’t going to shoot the Western until next winter, and I have been full of piss and vinegar about the other one. So now I’ll do that one.”
Update: Hateful Eight Update: Gawker Files Motion to Dismiss Quentin Tarantino’s Lawsuit
Quentin Tarantino image courtesy of Levonbiss.com
Also see: Hateful Eight Update: Quentin Tarantino’s Lawsuit Against Gawker Dismissed
The critically acclaimed director filed a lawsuit against Gawker for making the screenplay available for download. Tarantino says in his legal papers:
“Gawker Media has made a business of predatory journalism, violating people’s right to make a buck,”
“This time they’ve gone too far.”
He adds:
“Rather than merely publishing a news story reporting that Plaintiff’s screenplay may have been circulating in Hollywood without his permission, Gawker Media crossed the journalistic line by promoting itself to the public as the first source to read the entire screenplay illegally.”
Gawker Media’s post titled “Here Is the Leaked Quentin Tarantino Hateful Eight Script” provided “multiple direct links for downloading the entire screenplay through a conveniently anonymous URL,”
At first glance any entertainment website and blog will feel overwhelming anxiety at the idea of being sued for posting links to another website for leaked information.
The lawsuit specifies the infringement:
“There was nothing newsworthy or journalistic about Gawker Media facilitating and encouraging the public’s violation of Plaintiff’s copyright in the screenplay, and its conduct will not shield Gawker Media from liability for their unlawful activity,”
Tarantino is coming after Gawker with both guns blazing; he is suing them for contributory copyright infringement for linking to a site that is being sued for direct copyright infringement. If the helmer wins the case, Gawker will have to fork out $1 million for unspecified damages and the injunction will stop the site from continuing to link to the script.
Gawker has taken a stance to defend their actions in a post titled “Quentin Tarantino Sues Gawker Over Link to Script He Wants Online.” Things are becoming heated with Gawker’s statement that Tarantino deliberately exposed the leaked script by making his complaint public in an interview.
Gawker’s defence in a statement on their site:
“Thanks to Tarantino’s shrewd publicity strategy, the leak of ‘The Hateful Eight’ – and the content of the script – had been widely dissected online and was a topic of heated conversation among Defamer readers,”
“News of the fact that it existed on the internet advanced a story that Tarantino himself had launched, and our publication of the link was a routine and unremarkable component of our job: making people aware of news and information about which they are curious.”
“Someone unknown to Gawker put it on a web site called AnonFiles, and someone unknown to Gawker put it on a different web site called Scribd. Last Thursday, Gawker received a tip from a reader informing us that the script was on the AnonFiles site, after which Gawker published a story reporting that the script had surfaced online,”
To complicate things even further, Gawker takes on Deadline saying:
“[Deadline] had itself obtained a copy,”
Deadline says they “did not obtain and still have not obtained The Hateful Eight [script].” Deadline also claims that Gawker is “trying to let itself off the hook” because they took “Tarantino completely out of context.” Gawker claims “Quentin Tarantino wanted The Hateful Eight to be published on the internet.”
Deadline’s article quoted Tarantino in which he said:
“I do like the fact that everyone eventually posts it, gets it and reviews it on the net. Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like the fact that people like my s**t, and that they go out of their way to find it and read it,” Gawker claims “Quentin Tarantino wanted The Hateful Eight to be published on the internet.”
Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. says:
“What the filmmaker told me was that he is not a hypocrite,”
“When he is shooting his film and sees the final draft of the script online, he in the past has not been upset and likes that people seek it out.”
Ouch! This will not be pretty considering a “Script Leak War” was inevitable after Tarantino’s outburst in his interview with Deadline.
Additional Source: Deadline.com
