'It' TV miniseries producer sues Warner Bros over film adaptations

A producer of the original 1990 "It" TV miniseries, Larry Sanitsky, has sued Warner Bros, alleging the studio breached his contract by making the films -- "It" and the upcoming "It Chapter Two" -- without his involvement.

Sanitsky along with Frank Konigsberg ran a Telepictures in the early 1980s when they acquired the rights to the Stephen King novel and created a miniseries for ABC, and stayed on through pre-production.

They quit the company after it merged with Lorimar, and were given a company credit on the miniseries, which aired in 1990.

According to Variety, the duo locked a deal with Lorimar that made them "non exclusive executive producers," with back end participation and rights to involvement in any sequel, spin-off or remake of the show.

The lawsuit claims that Warner Bros stopped giving profit statements in 1995, and never consulted either producer about the film adaptations -- "It" (2017), which minted USD 700 million worldwide, and "It: Chapter Two" that is due out in September.

The suit also alleges that they are entitled to 10 per cent of net profits of any remake.

Konigsberg died in 2016 and Sanitsky, 67, is pursuing the case through the partners' corporate entities.

Warner Bros. has not yet commented on the lawsuit.