New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- New Regency has sued filmmaker Michael Mann in federal court, asking a judge to confirm that it still owns the screenplay for Heat and to declare invalid the copyright termination notices he served this year.

The company filed the complaint on Friday in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter reported. It comes as Mann prepares to begin shooting Heat 2, a sequel based on his 2022 novel. Mann's representative has said the legal action is unrelated to that production, which is scheduled to begin January 19.

The allegations in the complaint have not been decided by a court. Mann's side disputes New Regency's position.

New Regency says the screenplay was work for hire

New Regency's central argument is that Mann wrote the...