There’s a pretty intense legal battle between studios over two films of the same color: Battle: Los Angeles and Skyline. Deadline brings this story, but what’s the actual situation? Well, Colin and Greg Strause, who own the visual effects company Hydraulx Filmz, received millions to craft the visual effects for Sony Pictures’ “Battle.” However, these brothers were directing “Skyline,” which just happens to be another effects-driven alien film that will be released in theaters four months prior to “Battle.” This situation was brought to light when higher-ups at Sony saw the Universal Pictures trailer for “Skyline,” which shows an alien invasion of Los Angeles.
It’s kind of funny that Sony Pictures is so worried, considering how incredibly low of a budget “Skyline” has and how much Sony Pictures spent on “Battle.” In fact, an apartment was where the majority of “Skyline” shooting took place! Then again, “Skyline” did create a huge fuss at Comic-Con this year. While “Battle” was mildly noteworthy, it didn’t have the same kind of clout.
Should the Strause brothers have given Sony Pictures a little bit of notice about this? It’s a difficult situation to read. On one hand, “Battle” did begin production several months before “Skyline.” That would certainly be enough time for Hydraulx to snag similar plot points and themes from Sony Pictures. However, let’s be realistic here: an alien invasion theme isn’t exactly an original concept, and Los Angeles is a very famous city where many films take place. Needless to say, there is a very fine line that may have been crossed here.
