HC refuses interim injunction against release of ‘Queen Forever’ on Phantom Studios’ plea | Bollywood

The Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to grant an interim injunction against Jiostar India Pvt Ltd. and the production and release of their forthcoming film titled ‘Queen Forever’.A single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Marne declined relief to Phantom Studios India Pvt Ltd, co-producer of the 2014 box-office hit ‘Queen’, which said they and Jiostar India Pvt Ltd were joint and equal owners of 50% of all intellectual property rights in ‘Queen’. The court noted ‘Queen’ was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film that has acquired substantial goodwill and ‘Queen Forever’ was a purported sequel being produced by Jiostar India Pvt Ltd, co-producer of ‘Queen’, and like the original film, stars Kangana Ranaut.According to the suit filed by Phantom Studios, the co-production agreement expressly and unambiguously provided that derivative rights in the film – including the right to create sequels, prequels, remakes, or any other work based on the film or its characters, story or other elements – vest jointly and equally in both the parties, the suit said.Phantom Studios described ‘Queen’ as a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film that has acquired substantial goodwill since 2014. The studio said it had not given consent for any sequels, adaptations or derivative works on the film; it had also issued several caution notices to Jiostar since April 2026 to cease and desist from proceeding with purported plans for making a sequel or any other content that was likely to create any association with ‘Queen’. Despite the notices, Jiostar refused to disclose any details of the project, Phantom Studios said.Citing extreme urgency as the film is reportedly scheduled for release in a few months, Phantom Studios sought temporary injunction restraining Jiostar, the producer, and the representatives, from taking any step towards “making, developing, producing, shooting, completing, releasing, distributing, broadcasting, streaming, marketing, promoting, advertising, or exploiting” the “sequel, prequel, remake, adaptation or derivative work” under the title ‘Queen Forever’ or ‘Queen 2’ without its prior written consent.