Netflix hit Bridgerton became the subject of a lawsuit earlier this year when the streaming giant told the makers of the “Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” in court for copyright infringement. However, it appears that the case has now been dropped by Netflix before it reached court, with sources suggesting a secret out-of-court settlement has been reached between Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow, who wrote the musical, and Netflix.
The couple’s troubles started when their musical, which was inspired by Bridgerton, went beyond just being an online sensation and they started selling albums and then live performance tickets with face values of $150 and above. With Netflix not getting permission, the musical had been given a lot of leeway from the streamer, who originally supported the songwriting duo’s efforts and even tweeted about their TikTok videos when it all started. At the time Netflix commented:
“Absolutely blown away by the Bridgerton musical playing on TikTok. Standing ovation..”
However, the throwaway fun of Bear and Barlow’s TikTok turned into something much more lucrative when they started taking advantage of their project in a big way, which is when both Netflix and Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes intervened to stop the couple’s venture. Rhimes noted:
“What started as a fun party by Barlow & Bear on social media has grown into a blatant takeover of intellectual property solely for the financial benefit of Barlow & Bear. This property was created by Julia Quinn and brought to life on screen by the hard work of countless Just as Barlow & Bear wouldn’t allow others to use their IP for profit, Netflix can’t watch and allow Barlow & Bear to do the same with ‘Bridgerton’.”
Netflix recently teased Bridgerton’s third season and spin-off
Although it looks like the distraction of a lawsuit is over Bridgerton is now settled, Netflix has a lot more to come from their official Bridgerton offerings, including a third season now in production and a new spin-off, Queen Charlotte: A Story of Bridgerton gets his first look at this weekend’s TUDUM event.
The Bridgerton prequel is described as “centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to fame and power, this” Bridgerton-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton”
While no date has been announced for the prequel series of Bridgerton Season 3, fans are already hyped for more of the world of Netflix’s period drama. That’s helped by the reveal of the title of the first episode of the third season, which will be revealed as “Out of the Shadows”, and a preview of the opening monologue of the episode, as seen in the special video below during TUDUM is shared.
Bridgerton’s first two seasons are currently available on Netflix, with season three and Queen Charlotte: A Story of Bridgerton available soon.