\n Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson<\/span> Tara Ziemba\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The Blind Side<\/i><\/a>\u2019s producers are standing behind their Oscar-winning film despite inspiration Michael Oher<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s ongoing legal drama with the Tuohy family.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blind Side<\/i> was a film that no major studio would make, back when Alcon financed the film in 2009. The prevailing \u2018wisdom\u2019 was that a football movie starring a woman would not appeal to football fans, it had too much football to appeal to families, and that movies starring Black actors don\u2019t work overseas,\u201d Broderick Johnson<\/strong> and Andrew Kosove<\/strong>, who are the co-heads of Alcon Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter<\/i><\/a> in a lengthy statement on Thursday, August 24. \u201cOur opinion was that it would appeal to everyone, and, in 2009, when this country, and the world more broadly, was more hopeful and less divided \u2014 it did.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blind Side<\/i> told the rags-to-riches story of football player Oher, now 37, back when he was a foster kid in high school. Sean <\/strong><\/a>and Leigh Anne Tuohy<\/strong><\/a> ultimately took him in and helped him get into college. The film \u2014 which Johnson and Kosove wanted to highlight the \u201cbetter angels of human nature\u201d in the Tuohys\u2019 acts of kindness and Oher\u2019s \u201cextraordinary courage\u201d \u2014 starred Quinton Aaron<\/strong><\/a>, Tim McGraw<\/strong><\/a>, Sandra Bullock<\/strong><\/a>, Lily Collins<\/strong><\/a> and Kathy Bates<\/strong><\/a>. The 2009 film, which earned Bullock an Academy Award<\/a>, had been adapted from Michael Lewis<\/strong>\u2019 biography<\/a> about Oher and the Tuohys.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blind Side<\/i> is verifiably authentic and will never be a lie or fake, regardless of the familial ups and downs that have occurred subsequent to the film,\u201d Johnson and Kosove\u2019s statement continued. \u201cIndeed, scores of trusted individuals, not the least of whom is Michael Lewis, one of our country\u2019s most respected writers and journalists and the author of the book The Blind Side<\/i>, have spoken of their first-hand knowledge of the authenticity of the Tuohys loving Michael dearly and raising Michael as their son through the end of high school, and then throughout college and onto the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n Oher filed a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne, both 63, earlier this month, claiming that they never legally adopted him<\/a> \u2014 as they publicly said they had \u2014 and instead forced him into a conservatorship in 2004. Oher, who previously played football for the Baltimore Ravens, is now seeking to terminate the guardianship<\/a> and earn a share of the Tuohy family\u2019s film royalties.<\/p>\n Sean and Leigh Anne, for their part, have denied Oher\u2019s claims that they \u201ctricked\u201d him<\/a> into the conservatorship and shut down Oher\u2019s allegations that they made millions of dollars<\/a> from the film\u2019s production.<\/p>\n Oher filed additional court documents earlier this week that claimed that Sean and Leigh Anne \u201cnegotiated a contract\u201d to adapt his life story on his behalf<\/a> and never presented him with \u201cany written documentation\u201d of the earnings. After Oher alleged he was \u201ckept in the dark\u201d about the film\u2019s profits, Johnson and Kosove have debunked those claims.<\/p>\n The Alcon execs explained to THR <\/i>that the movie rights to Lewis\u2019 biography were negotiated by Twentieth Century Fox and then inherited by their firm when the movie went into production.<\/p>\n \u201cThe deal that was made by Fox<\/a> for the Tuohy\u2019s and Michael Oher\u2019s life rights was consistent with the marketplace at that time for the rights of relatively unknown individuals. Therefore, it did not include significant payouts in the event of the film\u2019s success,\u201d Johnson and Kosove said, denying reports that the Tuohys received millions of dollars for the adaptation. \u201cAlcon has paid approximately $767,000 to the talent agency that represents the Tuohy family and Michael Oher (who, presumably, took commission before passing it through). We anticipate that the Tuohy family and Michael Oher will receive additional profits as audiences continue to enjoy this true story in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter<\/a> and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Johnson and Kosove\u2019s team also made a \u201ccharitable contribution\u201d<\/a> to the Tuohys\u2019 family foundation, offering the same deal to a nonprofit of Oher\u2019s choosing. Oher allegedly \u201cdeclined\u201d their offer, according to the Alcon team\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/The-Blind-Side-Movie-Producers-Defend-Film-Amid-Michael-Oher-Lawsuit-3.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Michael Oher visits SiriusXM<\/span> Roy Rochlin\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n