Yee-Haw! "Dukes" Back on Track

Wed., Jul. 6, 2005 11:50 AM PDT by Sarah Hall

Breathe a sigh of relief, y'all--a Daisy Duke-clad Jessica Simpson is making her way to the big screen in a timely fashion.

With a lawsuit against Warner Bros. threatening the impending release of The Dukes of Hazzard, the studio elected to pony up a serious sum of money to ensure the hard-driving picture would arrive in theaters as scheduled.

At issue was Georgia-based producer Robert B. Clark's claim that Warners had infringed upon the copyright to his obscure 1975 United Artists film Moonrunners, upon which the television edition of The Dukes of Hazzard was based.

In his lawsuit, Clark argued that Warner Bros. had purchased the TV rights to his script, but had neglected to put up the dough for the movie rights.

After U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess awarded Clark a preliminary injunction in the matter, Warner Bros. agreed to pay the producer a settlement of at least $17.5 million--more than the studio spent on the combined salaries of Simpson, Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Burt Reynolds and the film's supporting talent, per Daily Variety.

However, had no settlement been reached, Hazzard's Aug. 5 release would have been canceled by the injunction and all copies of the movie would have been impounded by federal marshals. Furthermore, the film's DVD release would have been pushed off indefinitely, and the $40 million the studio spent on theatrical marketing would have gone largely to waste.

Rather than garaging the General Lee to fight the injunction, Warner Bros. eventually caved last week and agreed to hand over a large chunk of change to Clark.

Clark's attorney, Marc Toberoff, would not reveal the exact figure his client received, stating only, "the terms of that settlement are confidential."

Warner Bros. declined to comment on the settlement.

As an additional promotional push for the movie, MTV is airing a 30-minute special on the history of the '70s TV series that will feature a repeat jumping of the General Lee at Covington, Georgia's Oxford College--the same place the car soared for the show some 26 years ago.

Meanwhile, as Simpson prepares for her short-shorts wearing film debut, a conservative Christian group is calling for the singer to cover up, following the release of her latest music video.

The video for "These Boots Were Made for Walking," which Simpson covered for the Hazzard soundtrack, features the buxom blonde scrubbing down her vehicular costar in a manner deemed "slutty" by Christian group the Resistance.

"It's disappointing to have Jessica, a pastor's daughter and Christian role model, join the ranks of the 'singing strippers' such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera," John Connor, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement.

No word from Simpson as to her thoughts on the matter, but we're guessing the General Lee approves. Yee-haw!