MGM and Bond producers end lawsuit against Universal’s Section 6

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

MGM and Bond right holder DANJAQ have finally dropped a lawsuit that has held up production on Universal's spy franchise SECTION 6. After months of protracted back and forth and the loss of filmmaker Joe Cornish on the film, SECTION 6 looks to finally be clear to proceed. The suit was set to go to trial this February but has now been dismissed and an apparent settlement has been reached between the studios, according to Deadline.

In case you weren't aware, here is what MGM alleges Universal was infringing on with SECTION 6.

“This lawsuit concerns a motion picture project, in active development, featuring a daring, tuxedo-clad British secret agent, employed by ‘His Majesty’s Secret Service,’ with a ‘license to kill,’ and a 00 secret agent number on a mission to save England from the diabolical plot of a megalomanical villain,” the April 2 filing says. “Most moviegoers would assume from that description alone that this lawsuit concerns the next James Bond picture. It does not.”

Universal has had hopes of turning SECTION 6 into a series of films and apparently MGM didn’t like that too much. Now that the road has been cleared, it is unknown who will be attached to helm or star in the WWI film. UNBROKEN star Jack O’Connell was linked to the lead role and Hugh Jackman showed interest, but now they have moved on to other projects. SECTION 6 still sounds like a cool movie and a welcome addition to the spy genre.

The details of the settlement are unknown but whether progress is now made on SECTION 6 will dictate how much damage this lawsuit may have done to the project. Stay tuned for details.