Back in March, the BBC announced plans to make a TV drama based on the creation of the Grand Theft Auto gaming franchise, and some of the real-world controversy surrounding it. But the Beeb is now facing a battle against the developers of the gaming series, Rockstar Games.
As IGN reports, Rockstar"s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, is suing the BBC over trademark infringement, claiming that it "has had no involvement" with the production of the 90-minute TV drama, which is currently known as Game Changer.
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has been cast in the role of Rockstar president Sam Houser, while Bill Paxton is set to play American lawyer Jack Thompson, a fierce opponent of the franchise, who campaigns against violence and the glorification of immoral behavior in popular media.
In a statement, Rockstar said:
Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC"s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary.
The BBC hasn"t yet commented on this turn of events, and it"s not clear if this will affect production of the drama, which is currently being filmed ahead of its anticipated broadcast later this year.
Source: IGN