Stars Who Took Studios to Court and Made Headlines

Hollywood lawsuits can be as dramatic as the movies themselves.

Behind major roles, awards campaigns, and box office numbers, actors sometimes end up fighting studios over contracts, pay, profit participation, release strategies, firing disputes, image rights, or broken promises.

Some cases changed entertainment law. Some ended in settlements. Others became public warnings about how complicated Hollywood money can be.

Filing a lawsuit does not automatically prove every claim. Settlements also do not always mean wrongdoing was admitted.

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney became one of the biggest entertainment legal stories of the streaming era.

In 2021, Johansson sued Disney over the release of Black Widow, arguing that the film’s simultaneous theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access release hurt her box-office-based compensation. Disney disputed the claim, and the public back-and-forth quickly became a major Hollywood story. The case was settled later that year.

Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland’s court battle against Warner Bros. helped change Hollywood forever.

In the 1940s, de Havilland challenged the studio’s attempt to extend her contract by adding suspension time. The court sided with her, ruling that the contract had reached the seven-year limit allowed under California law.

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine’s lawsuit against 20th Century-Fox became a classic contract-law case.

MacLaine had agreed to star in the musical Bloomer Girl. When Fox canceled that project, the studio offered her a role in a Western instead. MacLaine refused and sued for the compensation promised in the original contract. The California Supreme Court ruled in her favor.

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch made major headlines when she sued MGM after being fired from Cannery Row.

Welch was removed from the film and replaced by Debra Winger. She sued, arguing that the studio breached her contract and harmed her career. In 1986, a jury awarded Welch $10.8 million.

Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover’s lawsuit over Back to the Future Part II became one of Hollywood’s most important likeness-rights disputes.

Glover did not return as George McFly for the sequel. The film used another actor, Jeffrey Weissman, with makeup and prosthetics that made him resemble Glover. Glover sued, arguing that his likeness had been used without permission. The case reportedly settled and became a cautionary tale for studios.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone sued Warner Bros. over profits from Demolition Man.

In 2017, Stallone filed a lawsuit claiming he had not received profit participation from the 1993 sci-fi action film for an 18-year period. The dispute was settled in 2019.

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes sued New Line Cinema over Blade: Trinity.

In 2005, Snipes filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit against New Line, writer-director David Goyer, and executive producer Toby Emmerich. The suit involved claims connected to pay, creative control, casting input, and reduced screen time for his character.

David Duchovny

David Duchovny’s lawsuit against Fox made headlines during the peak of The X-Files.

In 1999, Duchovny sued 20th Century Fox, claiming the studio engaged in self-dealing by licensing the show to affiliated companies in a way that reduced his profit participation.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster sued PolyGram and Propaganda over David Fincher’s The Game.

Foster claimed she had an agreement to star in the film and had taken herself off the market for other roles. She sued after the companies moved forward without her. The case later settled, and Foster continued her relationship with PolyGram.

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis took legal action after his planned directorial debut collapsed.

The project, Three Stories About Joan, was expected to star Willis alongside Owen Wilson and Kieran Culkin. Willis sued producers, alleging they failed to secure promised financing and did not pay his acting fee. The producers countersued, accusing Willis of breach of contract.

Don Johnson

Don Johnson’s Nash Bridges lawsuit turned into a major payday.

Johnson sued Rysher Entertainment, claiming he was owed profits from the show. The dispute centered on his ownership and profit-participation rights. After years of legal fighting, the case settled for a reported $19 million.

Terrence Howard

Terrence Howard sued 20th Century Fox over Empire.

In 2020, Howard filed a lawsuit claiming the studio used his image in connection with the show’s logo and branding without proper compensation. The claim was tied to his earlier Hustle & Flow image and the visual identity used for Empire.

James Garner

James Garner became one of Hollywood’s best-known studio fighters.

Garner sued Universal over The Rockford Files, arguing that the studio’s accounting reduced the profits he was owed. His legal battles helped bring attention to the way studios report earnings from hit TV shows.

Alan Alda

Alan Alda also fought over profit participation tied to a major television classic.

Alda’s dispute involved MASH*, one of the most successful and beloved shows in TV history. Legal commentary around Hollywood accounting has cited Alda’s fight with Fox as part of the wider issue of stars challenging whether they received the backend money their contracts promised.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner sued Morgan Creek over Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves profits.

Costner claimed he was owed money tied to adjusted gross sales from the 1991 blockbuster. The dispute involved how revenue from the film was handled and whether Costner received the compensation his contract required.

Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone sued over an earlier version of Basic Instinct 2.

Stone claimed producers had made a pay-or-play agreement for her to return as Catherine Tramell, but the project stalled. She sued, saying she had turned down other work because of the promised sequel deal.

Bette Davis

Bette Davis did not win her famous contract fight, but her battle with Warner Bros. became part of Hollywood legal history.

In the 1930s, Davis tried to escape her studio contract because she wanted better roles. Warner Bros. sued her in England, and the court sided with the studio.

David Prowse

David Prowse, who physically played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, became part of one of Hollywood’s most famous profit-participation complaints.

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