The estate of Michael Crichton filed suit against Warner Bros. Television on Tuesday, claiming that its upcoming Max series, “The Pitt,” is an unauthorized “ER” reboot that fails to credit him and compensate his heirs.
The suit accused Warner Bros. and R. Scott Gemmill, the showrunner of “The Pitt,” of breaching a contract that requires Crichton’s consent for any remakes of the hit hospital drama. The estate also sued John Wells, an executive producer, and Noah Wyle, set to star and serve as an executive producer.
“The lawsuit filed by the Crichton Estate is baseless,” Warner Bros. Television said in an emailed statement, calling “The Pitt” a “new and original show.” The company said it would “vigorously defend against these meritless claims.”
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that in 2020, Warner Bros., Gemmill, Wells and Wyle began developing a reboot of the show without informing Sherri Crichton, the author’s widow and the guardian of his estate. Gemmill and Wells were executive producers on “ER,” and Wyle was a star of that show.
When they told her about the project, nearly two years into development, Crichton’s estate was prepared to approve a reboot based on the condition that he would be credited as a creator, in addition to a set of financial terms. But Warner Bros. later walked back on many of its promises, the lawsuit said.
After negotiating for nearly a year, the parties did not reach an agreement, according to the suit. But Warner Bros. “simply moved the show from Chicago to Pittsburgh, rebranded it ‘The Pitt’ and has plowed ahead without any attribution or compensation for Crichton and his heirs,” the complaint said.
In both “ER” and “The Pitt,” Wyle’s character is a doctor, the story takes place in the emergency room of a large city hospital, each episode begins early in the morning and ends in a day, and the characters include interns, members of the staff being treated by fellow doctors, and patients who are regulars in the emergency room, the lawsuit said.
Crichton’s estate said in the complaint that it was seeking to restrain Warner Bros. from proceeding with the show without its permission, and get compensation and punitive damages.
Crichton, a doctor by training, died in 2008 after a career as a best-selling author of thrillers, including “Jurassic Park,” that spanned decades.
“ER,” a hit show about an emergency room in Chicago, was adapted from a script that Crichton wrote in 1974. He was credited as a creator of the series, which was produced in association with Warner Bros.
The show ran from 1994 to 2009 on NBC, becoming one of the longest-running prime-time dramas, and won 23 Emmy Awards. Months before it debuted, Crichton and Warner Bros. signed an agreement prohibiting the studio from making any sequels, remakes, spinoffs or other productions derived from “ER” without his consent, the lawsuit said.
Max, the streaming service run by Warner Bros., announced in March that “The Pitt” would be a 15-episode show about frontline medical workers in Pittsburgh, produced by some of the people who originally collaborated on “ER.” The release date has not been announced.
Read More: Michael Crichton’s Estate Calls New Show an Unauthorized ‘ER’ Remake in Lawsuit
