Michael Crichton's son was born after his death and left out of his will; in 2024 his estate sued Warner Bros., calling The Pitt an ER reboot

Michael Crichton, the author of "Jurassic Park," created the NBC series "ER" and secured a "frozen rights" clause barring Warner Bros. from sequels, remakes or spinoffs without his consent, or his estate's after his death. He died of cancer in Los Angeles on 4 November 2008, aged 66, while his fifth wife, Sherri Alexander Crichton, was 6 months pregnant. His will, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on 26 January 2009, says he "intentionally omitted to provide" for his 4 former wives and does not mention the unborn child. The son was born on 12 February 2009. Sherri sued to have him included as an heir, Crichton's adult daughter Taylor opposed her, and a judge ruled that the son would inherit, according to a 2016 account by the Goosmann law firm. In August 2024 the estate, led by Sherri, sued Warner Bros. Television, John Wells, Noah Wyle and R. Scott Gemmill in Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit alleges that the studio began developing an "ER" reboot in 2020, promised Sherri a "created by" credit for Crichton backed by a $5 million guarantee, withdrew it, and then moved the show from Chicago to Pittsburgh as "The Pitt." "The Pitt is ER," the estate's lawyers wrote. Warner Bros. Television called the suit "baseless" and said "The Pitt" is "a new and original show." In February 2025 the court refused to dismiss the case under California's anti-SLAPP law, finding evidence of "at least a prima facie case" that "The Pitt" derives from "ER." Status: pending in Los Angeles Superior Court^†.