A Horror Movie Sued Over Its Title

The 1992 sci-fi film The Lawnmower Man shares almost nothing with the Stephen King short story it is named after. King actually sued the studio to remove his name because the movie plot was entirely unrelated to his original tale.

While the film features a gardener, it focuses on virtual reality experiments rather than the story's supernatural lawnmower plot. Stephen King felt the movie was so different that using his name was misleading to his fans. He eventually won the lawsuit, forcing the studio to remove his name from the title marketing. This legal battle remains a famous example of how Hollywood occasionally uses branding to profit from established authors.