Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
Having remained a beloved classic for more than fifty years, the status of Harper Lee’s famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird was seriously upset when an earlier version of the novel, Go Set A Watchman was published a few years ago. Specifically, readers were floored by the depiction of Atticus Finch as a racist segregationist, rather than the morally upright character depicted in Lee’s first novel.
With our perception of Atticus thus changed, it only makes sense for a playwright to draw on that dichotomy when writing an adaptation of either of Lee’s novels. But Lee’s estate does not appear to agree.
A new Broadway production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” is in development, with Jeff Daniels set to play the seminal character of Atticus, and Oscar winner, Aaron Sorkin, writing the script.
It should come as a surprise to no one that Sorkin wants to update this historic character. An adaptation is rarely, if ever, a word-for-word translation, since things that work on the page don’t necessarily work on the stage or on the screen. By the same token, things that had an impact in 1960 aren’t necessarily going to be as effective in 2018. In fact, Sorkin said he deliberately wanted to avoid setting the play in the same political climate as the book, since he doesn’t think that would be as interesting to a modern audience.
But when Tonja B. Carter, the attorney in charge of running Lee’s estate, heard about Sorkin’s ideas for Atticus, she reportedly met with Scott Rudin, one of the show’s producers, to express her concerns regarding the change. The two were reportedly unable to resolve their different interpretations of the matter, and Lee’s estate sued the producers of the show shortly thereafter. Continue reading ›