Latest news with #MichaelCrichton
The Verge
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Verge
The pursuit of better drugs through orbital space crystals
In The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton wrote about killer alien space crystals that are (spoiler alert) ultimately stymied by Earth's breadth of pH values. In reality, crystals grown in space could be key to a new generation of cancer-fighting treatments that save lives, not threaten them. Colorado-based startup Sierra Space is nearly ready to launch its reusable space plane, Dream Chaser. It's set to carry into orbit a 3-D printed module designed by engineers at pharma giant Merck. If the test goes well, and if Dream Chaser's gentle reentry process keeps that sensitive cargo safe, this could be the start of something big — despite those crystals being microscopic. A brief history of space crystals Space crystals sound like something an astrology guru would hang over their bed to help them sleep, but there's real science here. According to the ISS National Lab, crystals grown in space are simply better: 'Scientists hypothesize that these observed benefits result from a slower, more uniform movement of molecules into a crystalline lattice in microgravity.' Research into monoclonal antibodies points towards crystallization as being key for developing more stable, subcutaneous delivery mechanisms. Theoretically, expensive chemotherapy sessions could be replaced by injections that a patient could self-administer at home. It's the stuff of science fiction — and in the case of The Andromeda Strain, it literally is — but the truth is actually closer to Back to the Future. Space crystal research actually began in the early '80s, first on one-off rocket flights and eventually on the Space Shuttle. Space crystal research actually began in the early '80s There was much hope (and hype) about the tech back then, but it was ultimately stymied by two things. The first is cost. The Space Shuttle orbiter was to be America's low-cost orbital research transporter, but that never panned out. NASA's own per-mission costs pegged each flight at somewhere around $1.5 billion. That's simply far too expensive, even in the pharma industry, where reporting quarterly profits often requires seven or more digits. The rise of SpaceX and its competitors has brought those costs down substantially, lowering the cost of getting cargo into space to a relatively paltry $2,000 per kg. But that still leaves the other problem: shock. If you're going all the way to orbit just to grow some ultrafine structures, you don't want to rattle them to pieces on the way back down. 'It's about a 20 mph car crash equivalent into the ground,' Dr. Tom Marshburn said of the experience of landing in a capsule like Dragon. He would know. Marshburn is chief astronaut at Sierra and the company's VP of human factors engineering, but before that he was a NASA astronaut. He's flown on the Shuttle, Soyuz, and Dragon. Sierra and its reusable Dream Chaser aircraft stand poised to fix both problems, cost and shock, in one fell swoop. Easy entry Those of us of a certain age will likely feel a sort of irrational affinity for Dream Chaser at first glance. Its black and white color scheme and simple, lifting body design give strong Space Shuttle orbiter vibes, but this is no retro design intended to earn throwback cred. Dream Chaser has some major advantages over Shuttle. For one thing, it's much smaller, about one-quarter the length. It fits neatly inside a payload compartment of a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket, not requiring the messy combination of tanks, liquid and solid fuel boosters, and endless specialized hardware that stymied any hope the Space Shuttle had in being profitable. It also doesn't require a three-mile-long runway like the Shuttle. 'It can do a precision landing anywhere a 737 can land,' Dr. Marshburn said. 'It can do a precision landing anywhere a 737 can land.' The biggest change, though, is that it won't fly with crew onboard. For now, at least. Dream Chaser was born out of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capabilities (CCtCap) contract, a competition that also included SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Boeing's Starliner capsule. NASA selected two winners, and Sierra Space was unlucky to place third. However, seeing the potential, NASA offered enough orbital cargo contracts to make a Dream Chaser reboot worthwhile. A subtly redesigned space plane will launch and land as planned, just minus the people. Why did NASA want to keep Sierra Space in the loop? Dream Chaser's design offers some real benefits, particularly as we potentially enter an age of space manufacturing. 'A capsule like a Dragon, by the nature of the physics, of the shape of it, can bring down only half of what it takes up,' said Meagan Crawford, founder and managing partner at SpaceFund, an early-stage venture capital investment fund with a focus on commercial space. 'The space plane has the opposite physics, it can bring down twice as much as it takes up.' An ideal orbital transport and manufacturing network, then, has a combination of the two. Microgravity potential That's the potential. For now, the project with Merck is something of a proof of concept, a 3D-printed module containing a series of tubes, plungers, and capsules. Once it gets to the ISS, a willing astronaut will turn some valves in sequence, then the resulting concoction will be shuttled back to Earth for someone at Merck to examine. And they'll be able to do so quickly. Dr. Marshburn said that traditional reentry capsules like Dragon or Soyuz often spend days bouncing on boats or trucks before their cargo can be retrieved. Dream Chaser was designed for cargo to be offloaded within an hour after its wheels stop rolling. The Merck module will test that quick retrieval, plus the soft landing, ensuring the potential for this sort of crystalline growth in space. And, though the ISS is itself set to be decommissioned by the end of the decade, Sierra Space is positioning its own inflatable orbital modules as a commercial alternative, free of the politics and oversight of the ISS. Space Fund's Crawford said that the economics are sound, and the proof is in the number of players trying to capitalize on the space plane market. Startups like Venus Aerospace, Radian Aerospace, Dawn Aerospace, and Virgin Galactic each have their own aircraft in development, with goals ranging from cargo to space tourism. Space drug development has the potential to be hugely promising, but Sierra has a few other arrows in its quiver. It's partnering with Honda to get a next-gen fuel cell into space, and those of you craving smaller and better processors could be in luck too. A startup called Space Forge plans to grow processor substrates in orbit, another area where gentle touchdowns are key. In shattering today's mission cost barriers, Sierra Space might just blow through the semiconductor nanometer barrier, too. Softer cargo There's hope for one more type of cargo to come out of these missions. For now, Dream Chaser is relegated to transport only cargo, but the stumbles of the Starliner program could reopen the door to hauling humans. 'You see a winged body and of course, astronauts, especially test pilots, we want to be in that,' Dr. Marshburn said. 'At any point, we'd be able to leverage the work that's already been done to get that ready.' If that does come to pass, it'll take some time. Tenacity, the first Dream Chaser, is going through final checks at NASA, waiting for its chance to head to the ISS sometime later this year. The second, Reverence, is currently under production. In other words: Watch this space. 0 Comments
Geek Vibes Nation
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'The Andromeda Strain' (1971) Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review - A Science-Forward Thriller From Michael Crichton
Before he created Westworld and Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton first blurred the line between science fiction and science fact with his breakout success The Andromeda Strain. Two years after the novel's publication, Robert Wise (The Haunting) directed the film adaptation, a nail-biting blend of clinically-realised docudrama and astonishing sci-fi visuals that ushered in a new subgenre: the 'killer virus' biological thriller. A government satellite crashes outside a small town in New Mexico – and within minutes, every inhabitant of the town is dead, except for a crying baby and an elderly derelict. The satellite and the two survivors are sent to Wildfire, a top-secret underground laboratory equipped with a nuclear self-destruct mechanism to prevent the spread of infection in case of an outbreak. Realizing that the satellite brought back a lethal organism from another world, a team of government scientists race against the clock to understand the extraterrestrial virus – codenamed 'Andromeda' – before it can wipe out all life on the planet. Aided by innovative visual effects by Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running) and an unforgettable avant-garde electronic music score by Gil Melle (The Sentinel), Wise's suspense classic still haunts to this day, and is presented here in a stunning, exclusive new restoration from the original negative. For thoughts on The Andromeda Strain, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality Arrow Video presents The Andromeda Strain with an exquisite 2160p transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This restoration was handled by Arrow Films with a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative restored and graded in 4K HDR10/Dolby Vision. The previous Blu-Ray release from Arrow Video in 2019 was derived from the same base master, but we do not have that release to compare directly. By all accounts, that was also stunning release, but this transfer displays it to its full potential and expands the color space. The benefits of Dolby Vision for increased color output are obvious despite this not being an overly vivid film. You find great nuance in the black levels with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are firm with no signs of blooming. The complex lighting schemes and the uniforms make the most of the technology with more depth than ever. The striking compositions within the frame are a delight to observe with this disc. The sterile shades of the lab and the earthy qualities of the vacant town are presented with the appropriate delineation. This restoration preserves the stunning natural film grain as it resolves perfectly without a trace of clumping or swarming. Everything is completely authentic with no lingering print damage or stray specks. The movie looks exceptional with more subtle details on display than you can believe. The texture present in the uniforms and within the production design is astounding. When it comes to encoding, there are zero digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such nuisances. Even bright, open skies avoid any spiking or other stray encoding issues. This presentation from Arrow Video is everything you could want. Audio Quality The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with an LPCM 1.0 mono track that is everything it should be and more. The label has not stumbled a bit by ensuring the original theatrical audio is presented without any obvious flaws. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the sound effects. The film bypasses a traditional score in favor of some repeating noises orchestrated to escalate the tension of the situation. The largely mechanical soundscape creeps through to provide some unsettling ambient details. Moments of breathless tension are thrilling without becoming a sonic mess, as everything is distinguished with precision. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels inauthentic. Everything is presented with an ideal fidelity that never stumbles. This presentation is free of any hiss, distortion, or other age-related wear and tear. Arrow Video should be proud of what they pulled off. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. Special Features Audio Commentary: Film critic Bryan Reesman provides a great commentary track in which he discusses the career of Michael Crichton, the influences of his medical background on his work, the cinematic history of contagion films, the production of this film, the recurring themes in his work, the background of the performers, the science within the film, and much more that is well worth a listen. A New Strain Of Science Fiction: A 28-minute interview with critic Kim Newman on the origins of plague dramas, how The Andromeda Strain changed up the genre, metaphors within the genre, how the film fares in terms of scientific accuracy, and more. Making The Film: A 30-minute featurette from 2001 that features interviews with director Robert Wise, screenwriter Nelson Gidding, author Michael Crichton, and more. This piece delves into the creation of the screenplay, the casting of lesser-known performers, the addition of women into the story, working from storyboards, and more. A Portrait of Michael Crichton: A nearly 13-minute piece from 2001 that focuses on the early life and career of the author, his inspiration for writing The Andromeda Strain, his work in medical school, the reception of his debut, and more. Cinescript Gallery: A gallery is provided that allows you to view the script for the film. Theatrical Trailer (3:18) TV Spots (1:50) Radio Spots (1:49) Image Gallery: Galleries are provided for Production Still and Poster & Video Art Booklet: The Limited Edition release of the film comes with a multi-page booklet featuring writing by Peter Tonguette and an archival discussion guide for teachers and students created for the film's release. Final Thoughts The Andromeda Strain is a somewhat unusual but eerily effective science fiction movie that shows how gifted Michael Crichton was as an author from his earliest days. Director Robert Wise and company play things deathly serious, forcing the audience not to succumb to the ironic detachment brought about by so many modern productions. As evidenced by the last half decade, the scenario is not so far-fetched, and the focus on scientific research as genuine action works like a charm. There are those who might become too restless with only high-pressure exchanges and laboratory testing to perk things up, but those with a little patience will be completely riveted. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and a fine assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this release is not to be missed. Recommended The Andromeda Strain will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on May 13, 2025. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Telegraph
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
It's the greatest TV show of the year. So why can't you watch it in the UK?
It's the absolute pits: a new medical drama has taken America by storm, but there is no word when – or if – it will air in the UK. The show is The Pitt, and it was up in headlights before it had even debuted on Warners Bros' Max streaming service after the widow of ER creator Michael Crichton launched a lawsuit, claiming the series was a rip-off of a proposed reboot of Crichton's popular 1990s medical drama. That legal battle continues to play out, but no matter what happens, there can be little doubt that The Pitt is a shot in the arm for the studio. It's 2025's first bona fide smash, with 10 million viewers tuning in weekly – significantly higher than the six million or so watching year three of The White Lotus. Critics are enthusiastic, too. 'You'll have your heart broken and mended several times per episode,' said the New Yorker. 'The finest example of the genre in more than a generation,' agreed The Atlantic. A high-pressure medical drama set at a Pittsburgh Hospital and unfolding in 'real-time' over 15 hours, The Pitt is gloriously old-school network TV. The first season has just concluded on Max, where each episode was released weekly rather than as a streaming-favoured box set. And if it isn't officially a follow-up to the blockbusting ER, it undoubtedly – and with due regard to Warner Bros' lawyers – shares a great deal of its predecessor's DNA. It reintroduces ER's Noah Wyle – aka third year medical student John Carter (sidekick to George Clooney's dashing Dr Doug Ross) – albeit playing an older, more grizzled character in Dr Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch. It is the brainchild of ER producer John Wells and is set in a busy hospital in a large American city (Pittsburgh rather than Chicago). Tonally, the two shows are of a piece, with their grounded emphasis on hard-working professionals getting on with business to the best of their ability. And just like ER, The Pitt is a word of mouth hit straight out of the gate. Does The Pitt live up to the raves? It's difficult to say, as watching this side of the Atlantic is legally impossible. That is because of the dense network of licensing agreements in which Warner Bros has become entangled – just a few years ago, The Pitt would have, in all likelihood, made its way to Sky Atlantic, the go-to location for Warner Bros' prestige output released under the HBO banner (such as the second season of The Last of Us, or The White Lotus). None of this would be noteworthy were it not for The Pitt being heralded not only as the second coming of the medical drama but as a boon for traditional TV-watchers. What's so special about it? At first glance, nothing at all. Its 15-episode season harks back to the days before prestige content generally clocked in at eight or 10 instalments (usually a budget-driven decision). Rather than being released as a bingeable box set, The Pitt's episodes are released weekly, at the same time, like network hits of years past; it seems to have paid off, with viewer numbers climbing steadily each week. There are no stars, with the (very arguable) exception of Wyle. He plays Dr Michael Robinavitch, a highly strung A&E doctor working an all-night shift on the anniversary of the death of his mentor from Covid. He's even being touted as the frontrunner for the Lead Actor in a Drama gong at next year's Emmys, potentially beating the likes of Severance's Adam Scott or Landman's Billy Bob Thornton. In the show, Wyle is surrounded by an engaging ensemble of junior medics – including an autistic character, Mel, played by Taylor Dearden (daughter of Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston), short-fused intern Trinity and 'nepo baby' Victoria. They bring a certain amount of personal drama to the action – but unlike the soapy Grey's Anatomy (available on Disney+), the focus is on the high-stress job of saving lives. Added to this is the 'real-time' aspect, with all 15 episodes playing out across a single shift at the hospital – a format that harks back to pulse-pounding thriller 24. But that was before Warner Bros dived headlong into streaming. The Pitt doesn't air on HBO, but its online channel Max – which was confusingly previously called 'HBO Max' but has since been repackaged as a standalone streaming service. Since its conception, UK viewers have long missed out on Max's output, with hit US shows like Hacks and The Sex Lives of College Girls taking years to land officially in the UK. Even Industry, a British show co-produced by the BBC, screens in the UK weeks after its US broadcast. It's a sad state of affairs sure to push frustrated audiences towards illegal streamers. And it doesn't look like it will be fixed anytime soon: Max is scheduled to launch in the UK in 2026 – the same year its hugely anticipated Harry Potter reboot series will be released – but there is no official word yet which other shows we can expect to see. the other thing that made the pitt such a massive hit? it's TV that's not ashamed to be TV. it's not an eight hour long movie chopped up into eight episodes; it's an ensemble-driven episodic drama that centers the acting & writing first and foremost. oh, and it had *15* episodes! — zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) April 12, 2025 These developments have created tensions between Warner and Sky, which initiated legal proceedings against the US studio before quietly dropping them. With the Sky-HBO deal running out in 2026, it seems the British broadcaster will have to plan a future that does not rely on high-quality imports from America. Amid such wrangling, The Pitt is in limbo. Sky can't do anything with it as it does not air on HBO. But as Max doesn't arrive in the UK until next year, it could be 12 months – at least – before The Pitt lands. That's assuming Max doesn't randomly licence it to another streamer, as it did with showbiz dark comedy Hacks, which randomly turned up on Amazon Prime Video – only to pop up on Sky Max recently, just in time for season four. Part of The Pitt's success can be explained by its being television that is comfortable with the limitations of the medium. Unlike many recent hits (and quite a few flops), The Pitt doesn't think it's too good for the small screen or feel obliged to pretend to be a movie sliced into weekly segments. As one viewer commented on Reddit, 'It's shot the way TV used to be efficiently shot. Everything's consistently lit because they just use the overhead lights of the hospital set. Cameras are all handheld. Which means way quicker setups between shots, unlike all these other streaming shows that try go for a cinematic look and require the same production length of a movie.' The Pitt also understands the importance of giving punters more of what they want. Series two is already filming and scheduled to arrive in 2026 – as opposed to the two or three-year gap now standard for more 'cinematic' fare such as The House of the Dragon or The Last of Us. Pacy and unpretentious – it's the perfect pick-me-up. What a shame viewers in the UK are going to be left hanging for another year at least. This definitely isn't what the doctor ordered.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Pitt Has Revolutionized the Medical Drama
Medical dramas are like the old aphorism about pizza and sex: Even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. Since the glory days of ER faded in the late '90s, there have been plenty of TV series of varying quality set in hospitals. But the best ones have always taken a flashier storytelling approach: the elaborate mystery-solving of House, the soapy romance antics of Grey's Anatomy, the early-20th-century grotesqueries of The Knick. Those efforts, however, have been few and far between, leaving wanting viewers to subsist on thin gruel such as Chicago Med, Code Black, and The Resident—all pale imitations of ER at best. I had been longing for something more meat-and-potatoes—and then along came The Pitt, Max's hit new show starring ER's Noah Wyle. The first season is still airing, yet it's already without question the finest example of the genre in more than a generation. I'll admit, somewhat cheekily, that my interest in The Pitt was first piqued by an ongoing lawsuit. The author Michael Crichton's estate sued Warner Bros. over The Pitt's very existence, arguing that it was an unauthorized, thinly disguised reboot of ER. Crichton (who died in 2008) created the NBC smash in 1994, which was based on his 1974 screenplay about his own experiences as a medical student; his actual participation in it throughout its 15 years on the air, though, was minimal. The other thing that caught my eye was Wyle's involvement, along with that of ER creative luminaries such as R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells. Their presence certainly suggested a program that was trying to harken back to the genre's better days: straightforward stories of doctors and nurses moving through case after case with steadfast professionalism. It turns out that The Pitt's rendition of this formula has a twist, perhaps enough to distinguish it from ER in a copyright sense. The 15-episode first season encompasses a single shift in the emergency room of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, hour by hour. Where an installment of ER might take place over a day or two, The Pitt's structure allows it to be super granular. The original regular ensemble of ER was just four doctors, a medical student, and a nurse, for example, whereas The Pitt has a credited ensemble of seven doctors, two students, and a nurse. The tighter focus allows the story to explore, with even more realism than its predecessors, how trauma cases progress. Meanwhile, the slower pace helps viewers settle into the comforting routine of watching people be good at their job. [Read: Chicago Med and the state of the hospital drama] That repetition is the secret sauce to any great procedural series: Audiences love watching people be good at their job. That doesn't mean these stories can't include interpersonal conflicts and flawed characters. But the gestalt of almost any long-running drama about professionals such as detectives, lawyers, and doctors is the mega-satisfaction that comes with observing core competence. Crimes will be solved, cases closed, and maladies healed; yes, sometimes things will go wrong, but only rarely—so that the program can emphasize how often things go right instead. The Pitt follows an ultra-concentrated version of this formula by zeroing in on an emergency room, because the job of a trauma doctor is just to stabilize patients and then move them along. Plenty of emotion is mixed in with all the medical jargon, but the task before each member of the staff is always the same: keep beds clear and patients moving. Wyle has plenty of experience projecting competency after playing the emergency physician John Carter for most of ER's run. Carter arrives as a fumbling, awkward, lovable med student—the audience surrogate in the chaotic and intense environment of a fictional Chicago emergency ward. But he stuck around long enough to become the wise veteran, setting the tone for the other residents and functioning as a sort of moral bedrock. I grew up watching Carter's journey and continue to think that Wyle is one of TV's most underrated actors; though he got five Emmy nominations for ER, other cast members such as George Clooney and Julianna Margulies emerged as bigger stars. I worried, however, that The Pitt might feel like little more than an easy nostalgia play for him. I shouldn't have: His performance as Dr. Michael Robinavitch, known to everyone as 'Robby,' has a pretty healthy distance from Dr. Carter—he's earthier, grumpier, and appropriately world-weary in his leadership. Robby, the senior attending physician in the hospital's ER, is reckoning with PTSD from working the nightmarish early days of the coronavirus pandemic, a current-day wrinkle that The Pitt handles with a lot of care and sensitivity. Apart from that contemporary struggle, Robby faces timeless dilemmas, in which he often assumes the role of a reliable mentor. Not all of those dilemmas are high-risk, either: One of the most memorable problems he's dealt with thus far has been his need to use the restroom, only to be held up repeatedly. [Read: Everything TV taught you about autopsies is wrong] Wyle's steadiness is pivotal to The Pitt's success, but just as crucial is the carefully formed ensemble around him; the real pleasure of any good hospital show is watching doctors philosophically ping off one another. Over the slow build of the season, character details emerge without need for much didactic exposition. A quick favorite is Dr. Mel King (played by Taylor Dearden), whose experience taking care of her neurodivergent sister has made her a particularly empathetic doctor. But pricklier characters, such as Isa Briones's Trinity Santos (an impatient intern with ambitions beyond her station) and Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez), a 'nepo baby' medical student struggling to distinguish herself, are vital figures in many of The Pitt's background plots. Tackling tough medical crises comes first, but the writers have skillfully set a dozen subplots bubbling on the stovetop and tended to them throughout the season. The mix between the personal and the professional is key to making a hospital drama work. So why has The Pitt been so much more rapturously received than its contemporaries? Chicago Med, for example, has delivered solid ratings for years on NBC, but The Pitt has become the stuff of online discourse and fandom in a manner that feels unusual for a straightforward procedural today. The easiest answer to its popularity is the genre blending—that the real-time concept, in the vein of the espionage thriller 24, helps the series stand out from the competition. This format comes with constraints; each episode can cover only a specific portion of a single day. But the show uses its efficient storytelling to create a quiet sort of magic—something that is very, very hard for even the best TV programs to get right. Just a few moments with anyone gives the viewer enough to remember them by; we pick up quickly that, say, Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) is adept at sussing out patient backstories, and that Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) is compassionate to a fault. The audience becomes invested from minute one, making it possible to build impressive emotional arcs despite the restrictions of The Pitt's central gimmick. My biggest anxiety about the show's future is what will happen when its small-scale realism must be trumped by end-of-season stakes. Every major hospital show has confronted this tonal clash throughout its run; stalwarts such as ER and Grey's Anatomy have depended on ever larger and more absurd set pieces (tank invasions, ferry disasters, helicopter crashes) to ratchet up the action. These situations always come off as incongruous at best and like transparent efforts to drum up ratings at worst. The major incident that The Pitt has been leading up to—a shooting at a music festival—was telegraphed well in advance, by comparison, and it strikes me as finding the right balance between a big moment and the smaller moments within it. The shooting is the kind of scenario that would overwhelm an already taxed emergency room, but it's also the kind of real-world crisis that's depressingly common of late. If the next season of The Pitt (which Max has already ordered) sticks to this grounded level of catastrophe for ballast, I'll be satisfied—because what I'll really be coming back for is the little things. Article originally published at The Atlantic
NBC News
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Judge allows Michael Crichton's estate to pursue lawsuit against Warner Bros. over 'The Pitt'
A judge is allowing the estate of Michael Crichton — the late creator of hit television series "ER" — to pursue its lawsuit against Max's new medical drama "The Pitt." Crichton's widow, Sherri, sued Warner Bros. in August, arguing that the entertainment company's new show is an unauthorized reboot of "ER." Both shows center around the personal and professional lives of fictionalized doctors, nurses and other medical staff working in hospital emergency rooms. Warner Bros. filed a motion to dismiss the case last month, citing a California law — known as its anti-SLAPP law — intended to protect Californians from lawsuits that target free speech. On Monday, the judge proceeding over the case sided with Crichton's estate, allowing the suit to move forward. "The Court finds that the evidence submitted by Plaintiffs meet the minimal merit standard to demonstrate at least a prima facie case that 'The Pitt' is derived from 'ER,'" the judge wrote. "Under anti-SLAPP standards, the Court cannot find Plaintiffs claims to be totally meritless." A spokesperson for Sherri called the judge's decision "an important win for Michael Crichton and the entire creative community." 'Sherri Crichton was thrilled that the original team behind ER wanted to do a reboot and was shocked when Warner Bros. abruptly broke off negotiations and announced The Pitt — a carbon copy of the ER reboot that was pitched to her,' the spokesperson said in an email on Wednesday. 'The Crichton Estate looks forward to presenting its case to a jury and is confident it will prevail.' Warner Bros. did not immediately return a request for comment. In her lawsuit, Crichton's estate alleged that Warner Bros. first tried to negotiate a reboot of "ER" before premiering "The Pitt" last month. "After negotiating unsuccessfully with Crichton's estate for nearly a year for the right to reboot ER, Warner Bros. simply moved the show from Chicago to Pittsburgh, rebranded it The Pitt, and has plowed ahead without any attribution or compensation for Crichton and his heirs," the suit states. ("ER" took place in a hospital in Chicago. "The Pitt" takes place in in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) The judge made note of the failed negotiations in his decision on Monday, writing that "Plaintiffs' evidence establish a timeline of various communications and events to show the negotiations with the Estate over an ER reboot, failure of those negotiations, and the creation of The Pitt." Crichton received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969, but decided to forgo a career in medicine to be a writer. He published over two dozen novels throughout his lifetime, including science fiction novel-turned cultural phenomenon "Jurassic Park" in 1990. Crichton died from cancer in 2008. "ER" aired on NBC from 1994 to 2009, won nearly two dozen Emmy Awards and developed something of a cult-like following.(NBC News and NBC are owned by NBCUniversal.) Pepperdine University sued Warner Bros. last week for alleged trademark infringement over Mind Kaling's upcoming comedy series 'Running Point.' The university alleged that Warner Bros. and Netflix 'misappropriated' their NCAA basketball team's name and team colors. The entertainment companies did not return requests for comment about the other lawsuit.
