The “Dieter” drama finally drew to a close Thursday when Mike Myers and Universal Pictures signed off on a settlement.
Earlier this week Myers and Imagine Entertainment signed a separate settlement agreement.
Universal did not disclose details of its settlement but did say that Myers would write his next original character-based comedy as a co-production for U and DreamWorks, with Imagine producing.
Sources said that the “Dieter” project is probably dead.
In a statement, Myers said, “I’m glad to put all this business behind me and I’m looking forward to doing a movie that we all can be proud of.”
Universal chair Stacey Snider added, “We are pleased to have this matter behind us and are thankful to our colleagues at DreamWorks for this support.”
Late in the settlement negotiations, DreamWorks partner Jeffrey Katzenberg stepped in to mediate.
Imagine co-founder Brian Grazer said, “We are grateful we could reach such a mutually beneficial agreement. Mike Myers is a talented individual and we are looking forward to his newest creations.”
Litigation frustration
The litigation, which started with a bang in June and than dragged through weeks of on-again, off-again settlement talks, began when Universal sued Myers for breach of contract, accusing him of walking off the “Dieter” feature. In July, Imagine jumped into the fray, claiming Myers breached a separate deal with it. A week later, Myers sued Universal, claiming the studio tried to bully him into making “Dieter” with an unacceptable script. He also brought an array of claims related to abusive service of the complaint and named Imagine topper Brian Grazer as a co-conspirator for divulging his home address. Last revelation prior to settlement was that Myers had enlisted famed L.A. investigator Anthony Pellicano to help him with his suit.
