In response, Crichtons widow,Sherri Crichton, here gives Deadline her first interview on the matter.
How can you prove otherwise?
SHERRI CRICHTON: Let me explain how this began.
Sherri CrichtonJohn Russo
Im with my family on Thanksgiving eve 2022 and my phone rings.
Although development had clearly begun long before, no one had mentioned anything to me.
So this is how we were treated from the start.
I could not believe that John and Warner Bros. would treat Michael and his legacy that way.
Johns call and eleventh-hour notification was a flagrant violation of the contract.
I know John would have never done this to Michael if he were alive, not for a second.
I was deeply upset and Michaels fans all over the world were outraged.
I could not let that happen again onER.
He promised me that Michael would not be treated like this on theERreboot.
We then negotiated in good faith with Warner Bros. and John Wells for nearly a year.
When they broke off negotiations last October, they told us the project was dead.
Nobody wanted the show.
Maybe we could revisit in 5-10 years.
I believed them at the time.
But the project wasnt dead.
They simply changed the name and moved it to Pittsburgh.
I dont think they expected me to take legal action but I was left with no choice.
This is what Michael would have wanted and expected of me.
How do you respond?
We would not have filed a lawsuit over that.
Noahs letters completely contradicted Johns version of events which was very troubling.
Why would John lie to me?
I could not understand it.
An hour an episode that spills over into a fourteen hour shift.
Warner Bros. and John negotiated with the estate for ten months for that reboot.
They terminated those negotiations last October.
But it wasnt months later, or even weeks later.
I found that absurd.
We did not file this suit in the dark.
We read the pilot script.The Pittis notSt.
Elsewhere,Chicago Hope,Greys Anatomy, orThe Good Doctor.
It launched Noahs career.
John claimed to be Michaels friend.
This is inappropriate behavior.
I understand their financial motive.
And by removing Michael they also remove Steven Spielberg and Amblin.
Its not just what the law requires, its the right thing to do.
DEADLINE:Why did negotiations with the estate crater?
Was it the ask for money, or credit?
CRICHTON: Warner Bros. wants to say it was all about money but thats wrong.
It was take it now or forget it.
It felt like bullying.
Negotiations did resume a few months later, but the promise to give Michael created by credit was gone.
That was a non-starter for me.
They just pulled it along with a lot of other terms we had spent months negotiating.
Obviously, I was wrong.
This is not a new playbook for Warner Bros. and its truly frightening.
Its theft and it should scare the hell out of every creator out there.
The estate engages and they negotiate back and forth for a year but ultimately negotiations breakdown.
Its the same creative team and the same storyline they had pitched the Puzo family.
Thats a good analogy of what has happened here.
You cant do a James Bond film without the Broccoli family.
You cant do aGodfathersequel without the Puzo family.
And you cannot do anERsequel without Michael Crichtons family.
CRICHTON: What happened onWestworldwas horribly wrong, but Michaels contract was different.
He didnt have frozen rights.
Still, the pattern is the same.
And now Warner Bros. wants to do that even in the face of Michaels frozen rights.
How personal is this and what do you feel they owed you as his widow, and his son?
This is all deeply personal for me.
John and Noah wrote me a number of long letters to convince me to move forward with theERreboot.
Michael wasnt just the inspiration for Noahs character; he was the character.
Why is Warner Bros. doing this?
Im fighting for my late husband and his children.
Im fighting because this is wrong and Michael would never stand for it.
DEADLINE:These suits usually get settled before they come to court.
CRICHTON: Im very confident about our case.
It may take some time but the ugly truth is going to come out.
This is not aboutoh we are just doing another medical show.
The truth will prevail and there have to be consequences.
Warner Bros Televisionreplied in this statement:
Ms. Crichtons lawsuit against WBD lacks both factual and legal foundation.
