
According to Deadline, the estate of Joseph Schuster, who co-created Superman, has hit Warner Bros. Discovery with a lawsuit about the upcoming DC Universe movie starring David Corenswet, claiming that DC Studios doesn’t have the proper rights to release the new film in selected “key territories.” A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson said, “We fundamentally disagree with the merits of the lawsuit, and will vigorously defend our rights.”
What The Superman Movie Lawsuit Means










According to the lawsuit, the estate claims that Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t have the rights to release Gunn’s Superman movie in countries like Canada, England, Ireland, and Australia. Schuster and fellow Superman co-creator Jerome “Jerry” Siegel, signed over worldwide rights to the character to DC’s predecessor, but the new lawsuit seems to hinge on international copyright law:
The copyright laws of countries with the British legal tradition—including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia—contain provisions automatically terminating such assignments 25 years after an author’s death, vesting in the Shuster Estate the co-author’s undivided copyright interest in such countries.
This isn’t the first time that Warner Bros. Discovery has had to deal with Superman lawsuits, as they had to settle one only 11 years ago. That particular lawsuit was settled in Warner’s favor, and it’s possible this new one will as well. What remains to be seen is how quickly it will be settled.
Superman Creator’s Previous Lawsuits And Rights Issues Explained










With the latest lawsuit from Schuster’s estate, it joins the long list of legal complications over the Superman property going all the way back to the late 1930s. When Shuster and Siegel sold the rights to the Man of Steel, the deal was for $130, which later caused them to sue DC Comics over royalties from the Superman radio show, as well as various merchandise. The publishing of Superboy comics also became a major legal issue, as DC Comics wouldn’t compensate Siegel and Shuster for their creation being used under a different title.
After 1975, Warner Bros. came to an agreement with Shuster and Siegel for $20,000 every year for the rest of their lives, but on the condition that they would not contest Superman’s copyright ownership. However, over the next couple of decades, including after Siegel and Shuster’s passings, the legal battles would continue over the rights. The Shuster estate was almost close to getting the Superman rights back if a new Superman film had not gone into production by 2011, which could have resulted in another lawsuit for lost revenue.
Our Take On The Superman Movie Lawsuit
