There likely won’t be a prequel or sequel to the film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s anytime soon if Truman Capote’s estate gets its way.
Alan Schwartz, the trustee of a charity Capote set up before his death, has sued Paramount Pictures over the rights to the author’s famous novella, the Hollywood Reporter reports.
Schwartz claims that the rights to the novella belong to Capote’s estate, and that the studio cannot make a prequel, sequel, or television series based on it without the estate’s permission.
“In 1991, Plaintiff and the Capote Estate entered into an agreement with Paramount, whereby Paramount optioned certain sequel and prequel rights, among others, with respect to the film,” the complaint reads in part. “The agreement provided that, if a motion picture was not produced within a certain amount of time, the rights would revert back to Plaintiff.”
The studio says that it does have the right to make a further adaptation of the novella. Paramount Pictures CEO James N. Gianopulos is said to have a screenplay for a movie that he wants to sell to a streaming service.
The 1961 film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn remains a beloved classic, although it hasn’t aged well, in part because of Mickey Rooney’s broad, caricatured portrayal of a Japanese character.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
