Sutherland Memoir Held Up by Estate Dispute with Publisher

In a lawsuit filed last month, Penguin Random House is seeking the return of a $400,000 advance it paid for a memoir by the late actor Donald Sutherland. The publishing house claims that the company it contracted with, McNichol Pictures, failed to deliver the manuscript of "Made Up, But Still True" because Sutherland's estate did not approve the draft.

The memoir, described as "bracingly candid" and "utterly unpredictable," was originally scheduled for release in November 2025. It was set to chronicle Sutherland's decades-long career, including behind-the-scenes stories from his iconic films like M*A*S*H, Ordinary People, and The Hunger Games. However, after Sutherland's death last year, his estate raised undisclosed issues with the book, leading to the delay.

Penguin Random House paid a total advance of $1.25 million for the memoir, including the $400,000 upon signing the deal. The lawsuit alleges that McNichol has refused to return the money, leading to the breach of contract claim.

In a separate development, the streaming service Sling TV has become the first to settle a data privacy lawsuit in California. The details of the settlement have not been disclosed, but the lawsuit was part of a broader sweep targeting various streaming platforms.