Spider-Man creator reaches deal with publishers
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee has reached a multi-million dollar settlement with comic book company Marvel.
The 82-year-old had sued for a share of past and future profits from the first Spider-Man film, claiming Marvel had reneged on an agreement to give him 10%.
Mr Lee’s lawyer, Howard Graff, refused to reveal exactly how much the deal was worth, but said he was “very, very happy” with the resolution.
The lawsuit was taken in 2002 and a New York court originally ruled against Marvel in January.
The company had threatened to appeal but has dropped the plan in light of the new agreement.
Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, both produced by Sony, made a combined €1.2bn worldwide. Spider-Man 3 is due out in 2007.
Meanwhile, Marvel has announced plans to start producing its own films featuring some of its 5,000 characters, rather than just granting the rights to other studios.
