That was fast! The Satanic Temple made headlines when it sued Netflix and Warner Bros. for $50 million. The claim? They alleged that the new series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, stole the temple's version of their Baphomet statue for the series' rendering of the "Dark Lord."
That statue appeared throughout the series. The group claimed their statue is an "original expression," which subjects it to copyright. Well, the suit has already been settled.
That's right. Warner Bros. and Netflix have amicably settled the lawsuit with The Satanic Temple, per Patheos. One aspect of the agreement has been confirmed. That is that the "unique elements" of the statue will be acknowledged in the credits. Those acknowledgments will appear in episodes that have already been filmed. Other parts of the settlement are being kept confidential.
Whether the statue of the series' "Dark Lord" will be featured beyond episodes it was already filmed to appear in is not entirely clear. Nor is if the temple landed the huge payday it was after when it initially sued.
The suit was settled in a remarkably fast amount a time, having only been filed roughly two weeks ago. So, if it felt like a speedy end to the legal drama, you are right.
There are images you should not expect to be part of a future lawsuit. Ahead of the first season's release, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's production designer revealed an interesting tidbit about its artwork. Horror legend Clive Barker contributed much of the art that can be seen at Sabrina's school. So, no lawsuits should be in sight there.
Now, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will continue without the ongoing specter of a lawsuit. The resolution comes a few weeks before Netflix will release a new episode of the series. A short time after its first installment has bowed, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will release a holiday special.
The episode will find the series putting its spin on the holiday season. In the special installment, the Church of Night will celebrate the Winter Solstice, which syncs up with the more mainstream (and non-witchy) holidays. Netflix has teased that the episode will find Sabrina attempting to make contact with her mother via a séance.
Something tells me it will not go exactly as she hopes it will. One thing that will go as desired by fans of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is another season. Before it even premiered, the show was renewed for Season 2. The holiday-timed episode should help satiate the wait in between installments. The special will be released December 14 on Netflix. Hence, there is not much longer to wait.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's release was met with a lot of anticipation and excitement, including from the stars of Sabrina the Teenage Witch -- ABC's more jovial take on the story. Just as the Netflix series differs from the '90s sitcom, it also does from The CW's Riverdale.
In case you have not tuned in to see that for yourself, you can. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's first season is available to stream on Netflix. The horror series is one of many TV shows that made their debut this fall on the streaming giant.
