Warren Beatty sued over Dick Tracy rights

London, Mar 22 (ANI): Actor and director Warren Beatty is facing a lawsuit over motion picture and television rights to comic-strip character Dick Tracy.

According to Tribune Media Services, Beatty "wrongly claims" to have exclusive film and TV rights to the police detective.

As per court papers, Beatty bought the rights for Dick Tracy in 1985 and went on to act and direct the 1990 film by the same name, reports The BBC.

The movie won three academy awards and its cast included Dustin Hoffman, Madonna and Al Pacino.

Tribune Co, however, said Beatty had "made no productive use" of the rights for over a decade, causing them to revert back to Tribune.

The row over the rights to the iconic character has been brewing since 2006.

In November last year, Beatty took legal action against Tribune Media Services, claiming he had begun work on a Dick Tracy television special.

Tribune has accused Beatty of producing the special solely for the purpose of preserving his rights. (ANI)