It’s official! Ownership of Roger Rabbit is successfully back in the hands of creator Gary K. Wolf.
“I now have back the rights to all my characters, all my books. I can, basically, do my own Roger Rabbit projects.”
This information was shared exclusively with ImNotBad.com and Jessica Rabbit World in a recent interview. The ownership of Roger Rabbit and other beloved characters has successfully transferred back to its originator, author Gary K. Wolf.
Regaining these rights was made possible through the 35-Year Copyright Reversion Clause. This clause was designed to give original creators (such as songwriters and authors) the ability to reclaim rights to their original work after a period of 35 years.
This transfer marks a significant creative shift to the Roger Rabbit universe, now set to expand with various projects on the horizon.
“Any sequels that we do have to at least match the quality of the original [1988] movie. In production value, in tone, in script content, in empathy, in character development. It has to be as good, or better than, what we did before. That’s what the fans want, and I have promised the fans that’s what I’m going to give them.”
While working on a 12-episode television mystery series, Hairy Wolf, set in a gritty Toontown jazz club, questions arose if Wolf (Gary, not the toon) actually owned the rights to use Toontown. Through this research it was discovered that the rights of Roger Rabbit fell under the 35-year clause.
“35 years after you have sold the rights to a book or [song], you could petition the Library of Congress and get those rights back. [An attorney] said to me, ‘You could get your rights back from Disney.’ I said, “There’s no way that’s possible.”
This raises many questions that don’t really have answers yet, since the case of Roger Rabbit now sets a precedent. Many would be understandably curious as to Wolf’s current relationship with Disney now that the rights reverted.
“I expected that this would be a contentious process. Who knows what was going to happen? But, it was not. It was very civil, very courteous, very straightforward.”
Wolf went on to say, “Disney was always top-notch for me. They treated me very well. They always accommodated me in whatever I wanted to do.”
The rights quietly reverted around a year ago, and in that time Wolf and his team have been putting together elements to create a movie or series that can match that of the 1988 film. With various possibilities, there are certain things Wolf is focused on.
“The things that we are looking at now are movies based on my novels, which I now have the rights to again. A lot of people have asked why didn’t we do the first movie more closely to the Who Censored Roger Rabbit book, with the word balloons and those kinds of characters. Well, that’s on the table.”
One project that jumped to the forefront centers around Jessica Rabbit. This will allow Wolf to further flesh out his world and take things in various directions.
“The one that is most prominent … is a live-action Jessica Rabbit movie based on the book Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business. That was the first project that we took a look at and the first we started developing. It’s probably the one that’s furthest along right now.”
It’s worth noting that this project would not be a live-action remake, but a movie based on Wolf’s novel released in 2022 where his world has been reimagined. Either way, news of any Jessica Rabbit project comes in stark contrast to comments made by Roger Rabbit movie director Robert Zemeckis in 2024 regarding the character.
(Robert Zemeckis via Happy Sad Confused podcast) “The current Disney would never make Roger Rabbit today. They can’t make a movie with Jessica in it. The Seaman and Price sequel script isn’t ever going to see the light of day, as good as it is. Look what they did to Jessica at the theme park. They trussed her up in a trench coat.”
Jessica Rabbit certainly was covered up on the California attraction only, but this seems to coincide with a rebranding of Toontown into a kid-friendly zone. The change did garner much scrutiny, but one must consider the decision to keep her included in the ride at all.
Clarifying Disney’s view of Jessica, Wolf added, “I actually don’t know where that came from. Bob Z was talking about that. I don’t actually know where that story started. I never heard anyone at Disney say, ‘Yeah, she’s too hot for us.’ Steven [Spielberg] wanted to make a Jessica Rabbit-centric movie.”
Following recent discussions about movie projects for beloved characters that were ultimately passed over, Jessica Rabbit’s return to Wolf offers a chance to finally realize what could have been.
On discussing who he would like involved in these projects, Wolf added, “I would love to work with Disney again. I’d love for Disney to participate in this. We could partner up on this. There’s a core group of people who were involved with the first movie, and I would love to work with those people again. Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy. I’d love to have Charles Fleischer come back and voice the rabbit again.
The process is going to take time, but Wolf remains committed to expanding on the world of Roger Rabbit, while honoring the legacy of what Disney created. Several interested screenwriters are vying to add it on their schedule and examine Wolf’s novels. Meetings are currently underway. It’s a new beginning for Toontown.
“I’m looking to have fun with this and give the fans what they have been wanting now for 35 years.”
