'Sharpe' maker in ITV royalties battle

Sharpe Films, the production company behind the Sharpe drama series starring Sean Bean, is reportedly going to court with ITV over royalty payments.

The company alleges that ITV's distribution arms, ITV Global Entertainment and ITV Consumer, have failed to secure good enough royalties for the series in the US, reports the Daily Mail.

The case focuses on three feature-length versions of Sharpe - Sharpe's Gold, Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Rifles - along with series two and three of the show aired in the early 1990s.

Also in dispute is the fourth series of Sharpe based on the novels Sharpe Siege and Sharpe's Regiment, written by Bernard Cornwell.

Sharpe Film accuses ITV of breach of contract, and alleges that the broadcaster licensed the programme at a royalty of 22.5%, despite a sub-distributor being entitled to 53%.

According to the High Court writ, Sharpe Films claims that no reasonable distributor would have knowingly accepted such a low royalty rate.

The company is demanding damages from ITV based on the higher profits it believes it would have achieved through a more lucrative agreement. ITV said that it would "strongly defend" itself against the allegations.

Sharpe's Peril, the last instalment of the Sharpe series - in which Bean plays a British soldier fighting in the Napoleonic wars - was aired on ITV1 in 2008.

Last month, Bean revealed that he would like to film more episodes of Sharpe in the future, but admitted that the cost of staging such a lavish production may scupper the chances.

The actor is currently starring in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones on pay-TV satellite channel Sky Atlantic.

Watch a clip of Sean Bean in Sharpe below: