Animated Biblical Epic ‘David’ Caught In Legal Battle Over Rights

by

As a gaming enthusiast, I’m excited about the news coming from Angel Studios last year. They’ve been making waves with hits like “Sound of Freedom,” and at CinemaCon, they boldly predicted that their upcoming animated film, “David,” would break all box office records when it hits theaters for Thanksgiving 2025. This Utah-based studio, which has chosen to operate independently from Hollywood’s traditional system, takes pride in serving a niche market of faith-based and conservative consumers. And if that wasn’t enough, they recently announced they’ve reached a deal to go public, making them more accessible to potential investors like me!

Following this dispute, Angel and Slingshot, the film’s production company (specifically, David‘s), have been at odds regarding distribution rights. In November, Slingshot decided to terminate their agreement with Angel, a move that Angel denies breaching their contract. As a result, they have filed a lawsuit asking the court to rule that Angel no longer holds the rights to the movie.

Slingshot claims that Angel exceeded its authority by leaving Slingshot out of decisions concerning international distribution, merchandising, and marketing, making it seem like David was an in-house production. Additionally, to garner backing from shareholders for a purchase by a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Angel artificially boosted its new streaming service by charging for access to episodes of the TV series, Young David, even though an agreement stated the content should be free, according to the lawsuit.

Instead of assisting Slingshot with content creation and distribution to broad audiences, as per usual, Angel chose a hostile takeover approach, which is consistent with their history of violating distribution agreements with faith-based producers, according to the complaint submitted in Utah state court on March 5.

Throughout the back-and-forth discourse, Angel has consistently argued that their agreement with Slingshot (who chose not to comment) concerns only the mutual consent for major decisions. This company was born from the reorganization of its predecessor, VidAngel, which underwent bankruptcy after a $62 million lawsuit for distributing unlicensed content, specifically modifying violent, nude, and profane scenes in films and TV shows. During this legal battle, CEO Neal Harmon raised millions through crowdfunding to create original content such as The Chosen, Tuttle Twins, and Dry Bar Comedy. Last year, an arbitrator granted the producer of The Chosen over $5 million, ruling that Angel had breached their contract with the company by redirecting funds intended for the second season of the series towards their own business operations, according to a source familiar with the situation.

According to Harmon, “We’re really fond of the David project, and we’re confident that everything will be resolved.

The movie titled “David” is scheduled for release in November. As described by Angel, it’s an uplifting animated musical that delves into the life of the ancient prophet, poet, and king. Following the story of a young shepherd boy who takes on a giant, this chosen one ultimately motivates an entire nation to believe.

In 2021, Angel proposed to Slingshot the acquisition of distribution rights for a movie titled David, with an extra $42 million needed to finalize it as stated in the lawsuit. The parties soon agreed on terms where Slingshot was given the liberty to maximize business prospects unrestrictedly. At the same time, Angel was obligated to inform its partner about any potential marketing, distribution, and network opportunities exclusively, according to the court document. Both sides were said to have had the option to terminate the agreement.

At approximately the same period, Slingshot collaborated with another business to develop the animated series titled “Young David“. Their goal was to publicize the movie it’s derived from. However, they objected when Angel independently chose to put two episodes of the show behind a paywall, thereby reducing the viewership potential. The series reportedly fell short of its anticipated performance, as stated in the complaint.

Over the course of events, it became evident that Angel’s primary goal was to exploit the Content for their advantage, disregarding Slingshot entirely, as stated by Erik Christiansen, legal representative of Slingshot, in the lawsuit. Simultaneously, they failed to acknowledge Slingshot as the rightful creator of the Content, while instead using it to promote their own streaming platform and subscription service. This action was a deliberate breach of their contractual agreement aimed at maximizing profits, but not the potential revenue from the Content itself.

Based in Utah, this company primarily operated by three Mormon siblings, predominantly relies on crowdsourcing for its projects and offers a distinctive “pay it forward” system for its streaming service. This system enables viewers to access content at no charge, while they have the option to contribute financially to support content creation in return for various benefits. In September, they disclosed their intention to be acquired by Southport Acquisition Corp., an agreement that would make the company publicly traded. However, this deal is subject to shareholder approval.

In the legal dispute, Slingshot asserted that their partnership deteriorated in 2024 when they discovered they were excluded from social media partnerships related to the series. They requested Angel to disclose such arrangements to maintain brand consistency, but Angel’s company led by Harmon reportedly responded that “vendors are confidential.” According to the lawsuit, Angel allegedly declined to inform Slingshot about third-party contracts, even those concerning merchandising. Under the pretext that approval rights were restricted to providing “input on how we exercise those rights,” Angel claimed they only had limited involvement in these deals.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that this event was not a one-time occurrence. After being asked for details regarding unauthorized and poor-quality dubbing services used in the production of “Young David”, Angel repeated similar actions. This was penned by Christiansen.

Over the next few months, Angel repeatedly violated the agreement by erasing Slingshot’s logo from ads and online posts about the movie ‘David’. The lawsuit asserted this action misrepresented that the film was solely produced by the Utah company. Moreover, it was alleged that Angel had entered into contracts to secure foreign distributors for ‘David’, in regions such as Brazil, West Africa, and the UK, without proper approval.

Or

For several months following, Angel persistently disregarded the agreement by eliminating Slingshot’s logo from ads and social media posts related to ‘David’. The lawsuit contended that this action gave a deceptive impression that the film was exclusively produced by the Utah-based company. Additionally, it was claimed that Angel secretly sealed agreements with distributors for ‘David’ in various international markets, including Brazil, West Africa, and the UK, without proper consent.

As a gamer, I’ve been following the news about my favorite game, David, and its publisher, Angel. Recently, there was a termination of their distribution deal by Slingshot. In response, Angel stated they didn’t breach the agreement. The outcome of the ongoing lawsuit could potentially force Angel to scrap plans for releasing David this year.

The legal action made allegations regarding violations of contract terms, false trading practices, unjust competition, and copyright violation, among other issues. It requests undetermined compensation, along with a court decree stating that Slingshot acted correctly in ending its agreement with Angel.

Read More

2025-03-27 02:55