Lawrence Sullivan, also known as the Florida Joker, has issued a "final warning" to Rockstar Games and is demanding $5 million for the parody of him in the GTA 6 reveal trailer.
Florida Joker Demands $2 Million From Rockstar For His GTA 6 Parody
09.12.2023 - 14:29 / thegamer.com / Roger Clark
Lawrence Sullivan, also known as the Florida Joker, has demanded that Rockstar Games give him up to $2 million for using his likeness for a character in the GTA 6 reveal trailer.
As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, the reveal trailer for GTA 6 was finally released last week after months of speculation and hype. Although the trailer itself was brief, it did hint at some of the content that will be found in the game, while also making it very clear that it's going to be as authentic to Florida (now named Leonida in-universe) as possible.
There are several references within the trailer to whacky events that have happened in Florida, such as an alligator being set loose in a convenience store and a woman twerking on the roof of a car. The most interesting of these, though, is a brief appearance of a heavily tattooed man being sentenced in court, which is a clear parody of the real-life Florida Joker, Lawrence Sullivan, who went viral in 2017 after his mugshot was released.
Sullivan has seen the parody of himself in the GTA 6 reveal trailer and didn't seem too happy about it, originally posting that he and Rockstar Games "gotta talk". That seemed to hint that Sullivan was planning some kind of lawsuit, and a recent video posted by him makes it clear that he's out to get some money for the use of his likeness for a parody.
As shared by Twitter user gtavi_countdown, Sullivan shared another video on social media pointing out that the character used in the trailer is very clearly meant to be based on him. Sullivan then repeats that Rockstar Games needs to get in contact with him, or at the very least give him "a mil or two".
"That's me. GTA we gotta talk, GTA. We gotta talk. Or not, you gotta give me like a mil or two. So what's up? Holler at me GTA, Rockstar Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Rockstar Enterprise. Florida Joker ain't having that. Y'all took my license, you took my life."
It's currently not clear whether the character based on Sullivan is anything more than an in-joke being used for the reveal trailer or if he'll make an appearance in the full game, but if Sullivan is planning a lawsuit then it's likely that Rockstar is protected under parody law. As pointed out by Arthur Morgan's actor, Roger Clark, it's certainly not the first time that the studio has parodied a real-life person.
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