After news of a copyright lawsuit between MGM and the creative team behind the 1984 film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension broke earlier today, Kevin Smith realized he doesn’t want to be involved in the Amazon remake after all. In a lengthy Facebook Live post, the Clerks director explained, “I had no idea that they were going to sue the creators of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai to [make the series]. Now whether that’s right or not is not for me to say. You got two parties who maintain they own something and what not.â€
He went on to explain that he appreciates both parties involved: “My point is I’m not going to court, I love the people at MGM, they’ve treated me insanely well.†Yet he did not want to go against the wishes of the original screenwriter, Earl Mac Rauch, or director, W. D. Richter. “The only reason why I love Buckaroo Banzai is because of those two guys,†Smith said, “It was magical, there was nothing else like it. Without those two dudes I don’t fall in love with that property.†Watch the video below for Smith’s full reasoning for dropping the project.