The Fountainhead Returns?

Thanks for posting this! I still watch the original movie every few years and I think I have seen every Gary Cooper movie at this point.

Let’s hope they don’t mess this up like they did Atlas Shrugged….

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/zack-snyder-developing-an-adaptation-of-ayn-rands-the-fountainhead-20160317

In my view, those who made the Atlas Shrugged films were the film making equivalent of beginners. Zach Snyder is a highly accomplished film maker who will not make the same errors which they did. But I do not not mean that he will necessarily make a film based on TF which Objectivists will enjoy. (see my other comment on this thread.)

Re: Jeff Janisch’s post 99272 of 03/17/16 at 9:18pm

Zach Snyder is an highly accomplished film maker and in that context, it makes sense that he would be attracted to a novel such as The Fountainhead. What any able film maker looks for is a strong central conflict which will support two hours or so of story telling. Clearly, TF, with all the major characters fiercely lined up against Roark while he pursues his career as a an architect, provides that kind of profound conflict and would attract the attention of such a film maker.

But what Snyder might do with TF is, in my view, problematic. Based on his films such as Watchmen and Sucker Punch, as I interpret his world view from those films, it is definitely not anything like that of Objectivists. (I found Watchmen to be dismal and repellent. I did not see but did read the plot summary of Sucker Punch.)   

Re: Jeff Janisch’s post 99272 of 03/17/16 at 9:18pm

Zack Snyder . . . . makes very lush and stylized films, as seen in the film “300”,

“300” was very dramatically intense, not merely lush and stylized. This could be such an excellent concretization of individualism that Leftists will loudly condemn it, provoking much controversy and  bringing many to the theatre. Despite Doug’s warning about some of Snyder’s other movies, I’m looking forward to this. If it affects the 2018 elections, this could be the cultural breakout of Objectivism. The lead actors must be chosen with unusual care.

Re: Stephen Grossman’s post 111907 of 03/18/16 at 5:08pm

Stephen I hope that if Snyder makes TF, we can all enjoy it. But both Watchmen and Sucker Punch came after 300 chronologically. 300 was an enormous financial success which (I’m guessing) may have given Snyder the opportunity to make movies more in line with his personal taste and world view. Again, if he makes TF, I’d like to be ‘proven wrong’.

Re: Douglas Mayfield’s post 111908 of 03/18/16 at 5:16pm

300 was an enormous financial success which (I’m guessing) may have given Snyder the opportunity to make movies more in line with his personal taste and world view. 

What a great thought. I fear at this moment many of his friends are trying to convince him not to make this type of movie! 

Jeff Janisch reports in post 99272, “Apparently there is a new adaptation of The Fountainhead in development by director Zack Snyder” whose recent work is as “the director of ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'”. The link which Jeff J. provides says that the director “has his sights set” on Rand’s novel, and quotes the director saying “I have been working on The Fountainhead,” but does not state that any contractual arrangements have been made.

I’m dubious that Zack Snider has pursued the rights, given that he is quoted saying “Warner Bros. owns [Ayn Rand’s] script and I’ve just been working on that a little bit”, but makes no mention of ownership of the rights to film anew any adaptation of the novel. Though it’s true that Ayn Rand sold Warner Bros. what were in 1943 all screen rights to the novel, the matter does not end there. At the time the novel was published, no copyright on a published work could last longer than 56 years. Congress extended that several times beginning in 1962, and with a thoroughly revised Copyright Act in 1976, Congress introduced a change whereby after 56 years, licensees would continue to hold rights to existing adaptations (e.g., Warner Bros.’ 1949 movie of The Fountainhead) but cease to have the rights to create new adaptations after the 56th year of copyright, if the author (or heir) forbade such in formal declarations made during a specified time window.

The 56th anniversary of the copyright of The Fountainhead novel was in May 1999. On August 3, 1999, Leonard Peikoff executed a Termination of Transfer upon Simon & Schuster (as successor to Bobbs Merrill), Penguin Putnam, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., and Turner Entertainment Group. A copy of this Termination was processed by the United States Copyright Office on August 4, 1999, and it was recorded therein as document V3439D351. (This latter number is all you need to request the document at the Copyright Office.)

The Termination of Transfer reads in part:

Pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. §304(c), the undersigned notifies you that as of the effective date listed below all rights in the work listed below which you may have secured under one or more of the below described transfers or licenses shall be terminated and revert to the undersigned as the terminating party.

TERMINATING PARTY:

Leonard Peikoff

Listed after various publishing contracts is:

Agreement, dated November 3, 1943 among Ayn Rand, The Bobbs Merrill Company Inc. and Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (and/or Turner Entertainment Group, as successor to Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.) for the exclusive, complete and entire motion picture rights in the novel, THE FOUNTAINHEAD.

TERMINATION DATE:

The effective date of termination for the above-described terminated work is August 6, 2001.

What this means is that no new film adaptation of The Fountainhead can be made without the authorization of Leonard Peikoff or the Peikoff Family Partnership (legal successor to Leonard Peikoff as an individual as rights-holder to Ayn Rand’s copyrights).

If ever there was a project that should stay in development hell, this is it.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/zack-snyder-is-adapting-ayn-rands-the-fountainhead-for-1765559858

If Dr. Peikoff owns the rights to The Fountainhead, why does Zach Synyder say “Warner Bros. owns [Ayn Rand’s] script and I’ve just been working on that a little bit”?

Is Snyder just mistaken?

Re: Tony White’s post 111949 of 03/20/16 at 1:17pm

Warner Bros. almost certainly owns Ayn Rand’s script inasmuch as it was written under contract to them. That is a different matter than owning the rights to film an adaptation of the novel after 2001 (the date specified in the 1999 notice). A film can entail a “basket of rights” (a term used by at least one lawyer specializing in film copyright); story source, music, lyrics, rights to identify actual persons, etc., may have to be licensed from multiple parties.

Re: David Hayes’ post 111951 of 03/20/16 at 1:49pm

I think I see. If I wanted to do a remake of The Fountainhead with my own script, I would need Dr. Peikoff’s permission. But if I wanted to use Ayn Rand’s script, I would need to get both Warner’s and Dr. Peikoff’s permission. Is that correct?

Re: Tony White’s post 111953 of 03/20/16 at 3:15pm

Yes, Tony. To read evidence that courts have ruled on the basis of an understanding of copyright law whereby multiple rights-holders may be involved, visit a web page I prepared which summarizes several court decisions on underlying copyrights: http://chart.copyrightdata.com/c10D.html. The timeline graphic which positions several versions of Madame Butterfly, at http://chart.copyrightdata.com/c10D.html#s137, might communicate the issue at a glance.

Re: Jeff Janisch’s post 99272 of 3/17/16

   One-line summary: Some analysis of Zack Snyder, Batman and Ayn Rand.

http://movie-mcfarland-usapilot.com/posts/3891359