The sequel to Dumb and Dumber was not quite the breakout hit that the original film had been. Now, it may cost producers a bit more, because it was just hit with a lawsuit. Steve Stabler and Brad Krevoy were producers of the original Dumb and Dumber and, according to them, their producer contracts for the original film gave them the right to produce any future sequel. Since the sequel was made completely without them, they're now suing New Line Cinema, the company that gave away the rights to Dumb and Dumber To.
The legal battle over the sequel to Dumb and Dumber has actually been going on for quite some time. In 2013, Red Granite, the company that ended up producing Dumb and Dumber To, actually sued Steve Stabler and Brad Krevoy in order to keep them from getting involved in the movie. Red Granite claimed that the producers had not been involved in the sequel in any way. The two producers claimed their lack of involvement was because they were being intentionally kept out, and the producers countersued with a claim of racketeering. Red Granite has been a company under the microscope for some time as there have been questions raised about where the money they use to finance films comes from. It was actually this lawsuit that seems to have done a great deal to get the ball rolling on these other investigations. That suit was settled out of court, but now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the two producers are now suing New Line Cinema for $1 million in damages. New Line was the company that distributed the original Dumb and Dumber, which made a deal to have others produce the sequel, allegedly without offering it to Stabler and Krevoy first.
The original Dumb and Dumber, which starred Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as a pair of idiots who get in over their head, grossed nearly $250 million around the world back in 1994. The sequel, released in 2014, was only able to manage about $170 million. Still a respectable box office, especially considering the film's relatively low production budget, but certainly not what the original film had been able to accomplish. If you forgot this movie even existed, here's a brief reminder.
It will be interesting to see where this lawsuit goes as the legal battle over Dumb and Dumber To has not been a pretty one thus far. If anything of note happens we'll certainly have it here at CinemaBlend.
