Overview
- A federal complaint filed by J. R. Wicker accuses Derek Kolstad, Thunder Road Film Productions and Lionsgate of copying his screenplay Blood for Escobar and seeks at least $10 million in profits.
- The filing lists specific parallels it calls strikingly similar, including a home invasion that kills a pet, a hidden weapons cache, a nightclub action sequence, a ritualized assassin organization, a treasured Mustang and a killer-turned-ally.
- Wicker alleges access through industry channels, naming contest judge Mike Goldberg and possible submissions involving UTA agent Charlie Ferraro and managers Josh Adler and Mike Goldberg.
- The case is at an early procedural stage with no court rulings or formal responses reported and Lionsgate has declined to comment.
- Legal experts note appellate guidance has made it harder for courts to dismiss such suits early, but they warn that proving protected expression over common genre elements and meeting statute-of-limitations rules remain high hurdles for the plaintiff.