'It's a Wonderful Life' sequel: Paramount to take legal action

Paramount Pictures, who owns the rights to "It's a Wonderful Life", has threatened to take legal action against a group of producers who are working on a follow-up to the 1946 holiday classic.
It was announced earlier this week that Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions are collaborating on a sequel to Frank Capra's iconic 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life", which starred Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
But now the Hollywood Reporter says that Paramount, which still has the rights to the film, would "take all appropriate steps" to protect them.
"No project relating to 'It's A Wonderful Life' can proceed without a license from Paramount," a studio spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter. "To date, these individuals have not obtained any of the necessary rights, and we would take all appropriate steps to protect those rights."

The producers had lined up Karolyn Grimes, who played George Bailey's daughter Zuzu in the original film, to reprise her role. It would center on Bailey's grandson, who is far from perfect. The film would see Bailey's grandson visited by Zuzu, who is now an angel.
Hummingbird's Bob Farnsworth said that the rights to 'It's a Wonderful Life' were in the public domain, and that he had written a screenplay with Martha Bolton, a former staff writer on 'Bob Hope's' specials.
"It's a Wonderful Life is about showing a good guy can win. And with Scrooge, you have a person that is not a good guy but he changes. This story is about the amazing human capacity to forgive when we see someone change for the better," Farnsworth said.