Editorial – Thoughts on Harlan Ellison’s Lawsuit

Well, Sci-Fi’s “favorite” grumpy old man, Harlan Ellison is at it again – this time trying to stop the release of the film In Time because of alleged similarities to his short story “‘Repent Harlequin’, Said the Ticktockman”, and by stop the release, I mean have all copies of the film destroyed. A demand this ludicrous practically requires a video.

4 replies on “Editorial – Thoughts on Harlan Ellison’s Lawsuit”

  1. In all fairness, if he has a case, a lot of lawsuits begin, unfortunately, by making unreasonable demands, as leverage for achieving more reasonable ones.

    As for 1000 people saying he’s a dick, I imagine that’s already happened, and I doubt Harlan cares.

    • I think JD is right: he’s asking for something ludicrous so that the final result is on the high end of the “reasonable” spectrum instead of the low end. I agreed when he sued Paramount for rights to “City on the Edge of Forever” merchandise, and having now seen those two “Outer Limits” episodes I completely agree with his case against Terminator. This one is based on wild speculation as far as I can tell. I doubt he’s seen a copy of a movie due for release on October 28 when he’s had no part in its production. I also agree that this sounds far more like Logan’s Run than Harlan’s work. I’m betting this ends with an undisclosed cash settlement and his name in the credits of a video release, as Terminator did.

  2. A certain OTHER story about Ellison’s dickish behavior keeps making the rounds and, as the link points out, that story (unlike the lawsuit one) is an urban legend.

    Rumors are mean-spirited and often have more to do with the rumor-spreader’s psychological limitations, but, in this case, I can at least see why people are willing to believe the linked story about Harlan.

  3. I met him. I worked for him for an event back in my college days. He’s definitely a character. He is irrascible, sometimes crude, and so direct he is almost bullish. He is also highly intelligent, passionate, and has been screwed several times by the legal system.

    We’ll see how this goes. :)

    -Joe

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