Sequel Rights
Contractual provisions governing future installments in a film franchise.
Definition
Sequel rights refer to the contractual arrangements determining who controls subsequent films in a franchise—including story continuation rights, character usage, and participant options. These provisions are negotiated during original deals and become enormously valuable when properties succeed.
Standard contracts typically grant studios automatic sequel rights, though talent may negotiate options, salary escalations, or creative controls.
Why It Matters
Sequel rights determine franchise control and participant compensation for potentially billion-dollar properties. Understanding these structures is essential for entertainment attorneys and dealmakers.
Disputes over sequel rights have led to significant litigation when parties disagree over the scope of original agreements.
Examples in Practice
Marvel carefully secures comprehensive sequel rights across all intellectual property, enabling their interconnected universe. Disputes over James Bond sequel rights involved multiple parties for decades. The "Terminator" franchise's rights complications led to creative control passing through multiple owners.
Streaming deals increasingly include sequel provisions as platforms build franchise content libraries.