On July 2, Warner Bros. won arbitration against the Weinstein Company over the title to the upcoming film "The Butler." In response to that action, director Lee Daniels wrote a plea to the studio asking for the chance to use the title for his upcoming film.
In his letter he asked Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara to keep the title because it was a labor of love and that he made it for his family. He wrote, "I have spent the last four years of my life working on the film, The Butler, and it is the proudest moment of my professional career. I am heartbroken as I write this letter to you. I made this film so I could show my kids, my family, and my country some of the injustices and victories African-Americans and their families have experienced in the fight for Civil Rights. Through the eyes of this loving and hard-working family, the film tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement from the sit-ins and the Freedom Riders, to Selma, Martin Luther King's assassination, and the election of the first Black President."
He also stated that if the title were changed the film would lose its audience. He continued, "I am so proud of this movie. Every member of our cast worked for almost nothing so that this story could be told with only our very small budget. If we were to change the title a mere six weeks before we open, it would most certainly hurt the film by limiting the number of people who would ultimately see this important story. This movie is not a blockbuster, nor did we intend it to be. We just wanted to tell the dark and beautiful story of our nation's racial history, where we came from, and how far we have come."
Daniels concluded his letter by offering a screening to the CEO, "I truly believe that once you watch it, you would not want to cause this film any harm." However no word on whether Tsujihara accepted has been reported.
On July 2, Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit claiming that it owned the rights to the title "The Butler" from a 1916 film of the same title. Warner Bros ended up winning the case and leaving The Weinstein Companies film without a title. The company is now seeking to fight the decision and has hired David Boies as its attorney.
"The Butler" is scheduled for release on August 16 but if the title change happens there will most likely be a date change. The film is slated to be an Oscar contender and stars Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Melissa Leo.