Did you watch the trailer that went online for would-be-alien-invasion-sleeper-hit “Skyline” last week and think “Hey! That looks not dissimilar to the upcoming Aaron Eckhart sci-fi actioner “Battle: Los Angeles”? Well, you weren’t alone, as Deadline reports that Sony Pictures Entertainment, who are backing the latter big-budget film, are ‘exploring [their] legal options’ with regards to its Universal-backed rival.
Both films take grounds-eye views of an alien invasion of LA; “Battle: Los Angeles” focusing on a marine platoon, “Skyline” on the inhabitants of an apartment in the aftermath of a party who discover aliens have attacked. Of course, it’s fairly common for films with similar plotlines to get the green light simultaneously, but the key issue is here is that “Skyline” directors Greg and Colin Strause (“Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem”), own the VFX house Hydraulx, who are one of the vendors on the effects work for “Battle: Los Angeles,” and have been involved with that project since the beginning of 2009. In addition, the brothers were also considered as directors for the project (which Jonathan Liebesman ended up helming).
Apparently Sony only became aware of the film when it debuted footage at Comic-Con a few weeks ago (despite having looked at it in May when the independently-financed film was looking for distribution). Their lawyers are allegedly exploring whether the Strauses’ early work on “Battle: Los Angeles” may have inspired their own film, or given them access to equipment they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
The Strause brothers’ management responded with the statement “Any claims of impropriety are completely baseless. This is a blatant attempt by Sony to force these independent filmmakers to move a release date that has long been set by Universal and Relativity and is outside the filmmakers’ control.”
While we don’t have a horse in this particular battle, and while 95% of similar plagiarism lawsuits are normally totally innocent, it does seem odd that the Strause brothers wouldn’t disclose their own project when hired for ‘Battle: LA,’ although at the same time, both loglines are generic enough that we’d be surprised if there was any true wrong-doing here. Either way, we imagine a quiet settlement will be made in the next few weeks, and that the smaller film will stick to its November 12th release date, with “Battle: Los Angeles” following next March as planned.