Banijay and Sony have entered a rights dispute over Sky’s new Girl with the Dragon Tattoo TV series.
Deadline understands that Banijay last night filed arbitration with Sony just a day after the splashy new series from Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna was announced.
It is understood the dispute revolves around Banijay believing the TV and film rights to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy have reverted back to them since The Girl in the Spider’s Web movie aired in 2018. Sony had previously optioned the rights to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2009.
Banijay believes the new Sky project, which is being produced by Sony-owned The Crown indie Left Bank, is therefore in breach, and it has filed arbitration. The pair will either look to settle the dispute or it will move to a court case.
Banijay-owned Yellow Bird produced the original Swedish Millennium Trilogy movies, which starred Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist. Yellow Bird then partnered with Sony’s Columbia Pictures, MGM and Scott Rudin Productions for David Fincher’s 2011 English language film starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, and the 2018 follow-up Girl with the Spider’s Web with Claire Foy.
Banijay and Sony declined comment. Deadline has reached out to Sky for comment.