HBO and Max Boss Casey Bloys Says Crichton Estate  ‘ER’ Lawsuit Shouldn’t Impact Rollout of Medical Drama ‘The Pitt’

As a seasoned film enthusiast with decades of television viewing under my belt, I find myself intrigued by this latest development involving “The Pitt” and the estate of Michael Crichton. Having grown up watching the iconic series “ER,” I must admit that the idea of another hospital drama feels like a familiar yet fresh concept.


Casey Bloys, who oversees HBO Max, has addressed the legal claim by the estate of Michael Crichton that the upcoming series “The Pitt” on HBO Max is an unauthorized reboot of “ER.” Bloys has informed reporters that he doesn’t anticipate this lawsuit to affect the planned release of the show in early 2025.

He shared during an HBO and Max conference on Tuesday that while he can’t discuss ongoing court cases, it seems implausible that a series couldn’t be based in an emergency room, as this setting is common in television. He jokingly added, ‘it’s like saying no other show can take place in a hospital’, and hinted at leaving any potential legal implications to the lawyers at Warner Bros.

Last week, Warner Bros. asked the court to dismiss Sherri Crichton’s lawsuit, claiming that the two shows in question, ‘The Pitt’ and ‘ER’, are different entities. In essence, their argument was that Sherri can’t use Michael Crichton’s contract for ‘ER’ to stop Warner Bros. from creating a show about emergency medicine because these two productions are unrelated.

Originally, the show “ER” was developed from a script penned by Michael Crichton, inspired by his personal medical student experiences. In August, the Crichton estate filed a lawsuit alleging that executive producer John Wells had betrayed Crichton personally. They asserted that Wells and the main actor, Noah Wyle, created “The Pitt” storyline after the Crichton estate thwarted their attempts to reboot “ER.

According to the lawsuit, ‘The Pitt’ is essentially identical to ‘ER.’ It shares the same executive producer, writer, main actor, production companies, studio, and network as the upcoming ‘ER’ remake. In other words, it’s not a mere copy or similarity; it’s the exact same production under a different name.

In response to the lawsuit, Warner Bros. stated clearly that the claim by the Crichton Estate is without foundation, as ‘The Pitt’ is an entirely new and original production. Any hint of a connection is untrue, and Warner Bros. Television intends to strongly defend against these groundless accusations.

Here are some of the actors who have recently joined the cast: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, and Katherine LaNasa. In addition to them, Shawn Hatosy, Mika Abdalla, Michael Hyatt, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Brandon Mendez Homer, Kristin Villanueva, Amielynn Abellera, Alexandra Metz, Krystel V. McNeil, and Deepti Gupta have also been added.

Based on an official summary, “The Pitt” delves realistically into the struggles confronting healthcare workers in present-day America, focusing primarily on the dedicated heroes operating within a contemporary hospital in Pittsburgh. Filming for “The Pitt” commenced as early as August, with the premiere episode slated for release in 2025.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I have to mention that “The Pitt” was brilliantly brought to life by the masterful pen of series creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill. He not only penned the pilot but also took on the role of executive producer, alongside Wyle, John Wells, Erin Jontow, Simran Baidwan, and Michael Hissrich. This captivating series was produced by the esteemed John Wells Productions, in collaboration with Warner Bros.

Previously, Gemmill held the role of Executive Producer throughout all 14 seasons of “NCIS: Los Angeles” as well as during the run of Wells’ NBC hospital series “ER,” from 1999 until 2008.

Read More

2024-11-12 22:17