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Studios squabble about ‘Austin Powers’ third title
LOS ANGELES — MGM has a license to kill the title of the new “Austin Powers” sequel “Goldmember.”
The studio petitioned the Motion Picture Association of America to ban the suggestive name of the New Line Cinema comedy, saying it infringed on the title of its 1964 James Bond thriller “Goldfinger.”
The MPAA ordered New Line to stop using the title last week.
“(We) have a zero-tolerance policy toward anyone who tries to trade in on the James Bond franchise without authorization,” MGM said in a written statement.
New Line said it plans an appeal, arguing the MPAA approved the title of its 1999 sequel “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” a parody of the 1977 Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
Meanwhile, the studio has withdrawn preliminary ads for “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” which is scheduled to debut July 26.
The comedy, starring Mike Myers as a toothy, flower-child secret agent, also co-stars Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce Knowles as his lover Foxy Cleopatra. Myers also plays several villains, including hairless schemer Dr. Evil and the new bad-guy, Goldmember.
