ORDER OF THE DRAGON: Retro Gold 63 Announces Termination Of Partnership With Filmmaker Vjekoslav Katusin Citing ‘Multiple Breaches Of Contract’
German production and distribution label Retro Gold 63 took to social media on Wednesday this week to disclose the termination of their partnership with director Vjekoslav Katusin (Wrongful Death) on upcoming action thriller, Order of the Dragon.
In the post which was cross-shared on Facebook and Instagram in German and English, Retro Gold 63 stated their seperation from Katsuin and his Dream Team Pictures label in February over allegations of “multiple breaches of contract”. The statement cites, among other serious allegations, Katusin’s “unlawful withholding and misappropriation of the film,” despite not holding any rights to the production, forcing the removal of producer and acting credits from the film’s IMDb page, and encouraging cast members to partake in the film’s publicity “against their wishes,” makint changes to the final script, and sidelining the film’s composer, David Michael Frank.
“We have repeatedly appealed to Mr. Katusin’s reason and were always willing to find a fair and mutually agreeable solution. Instead, we were subjected to both psychological and financial pressure and were effectively extorted. We were presented with two options: either pay a six-figure sum and receive the film in a cut that Mr. Katusin was neither commissioned nor authorized to produce, or he would release the film independently and unlawfully. Naturally, we did not agree to these demands,” said Retro Gold 63 in the statement.
“Any advertising or publication related to ‘Order of the Dragon’ distributed by Mr. Katusin is done without our consent and without any legal basis. We therefore ask that such content be reported, as Mr. Katusin holds no intellectual property rights to this project.”
Wednesday’s announcement by Retro Gold 63 comes a few days after Katusin posted new promotional keyart for the film on his Instagram page.
“I’m beyond excited to share this project with you all and can’t wait for you to experience it on the big screen. This film marks the powerful return of action legend Steven Seagal, joined by an incredible cast including Michael Paré, Mohammed Qissi, Ron Smoorenburg, Dong Hyun Yoon, and many more” his caption reads, in part. “Get ready for intense action, unforgettable fight scenes, and a story that brings together some of the most iconic names in the genre. This is just the beginning—stay tuned for more updates, behind-the-scenes content, and the official release details.”
Katusin bookends his caption with a copyright footnote citing his label, reading “© Dream Team Pictures d.o.o. All rights reserved.”
Order Of The Dragon was announced last year, partnering Katsuin and Retro Gold 63 for an action thriller hailing a line-up of action stars led by Seagal (Above The Law), Paré (The Debt Collector), Smoorenburg (Gladiator Underground), and Qissi (The Last Kumite), as well as David Kurzhal (The Last Kumite), and Katsuin himself, among others. Alex ‘The White Shark’ Pankine, Jean Rises, and Miroslav Trcak wrote the pic, with action sequences by Andy Long Nguyen (Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday). The film is also on track for a sequel with Smoorenburg, Stas and Long also on board, according to a social media post by Retro Gold 63 on March 19.
Further news on the film and the results of the incumbent conflict between Retro Gold 63 and Katsuin, or a public response from the latter on this issue remains pending, so there will be more news to come. In the meantime, read Retro Gold 63’s statement below via Facebook:
Unfortunately, we must share some highly unpleasant news. Following multiple breaches of contract, we terminated Dream Team Pictures d.o.o., represented by Mr. Vjekoslav Katusin, with immediate effect from all activities as of February 13, 2026.
In this context, the film has been unlawfully withheld and misappropriated by Dream Team Pictures d.o.o., represented by Mr. Vjekoslav Katusin. Mr. Katusin holds neither the copyright nor any licenses required to legally or lawfully release the film. Our legal team is currently working intensively to recover the seized material.
The copyrights as well as the distribution licenses are held by Filmworkers GmbH in co-production with Retro Gold 63 UG and Shamrock Media.
We have repeatedly appealed to Mr. Katusin’s reason and were always willing to find a fair and mutually agreeable solution. Instead, we were subjected to both psychological and financial pressure and were effectively extorted. We were presented with two options: either pay a six-figure sum and receive the film in a cut that Mr. Katusin was neither commissioned nor authorized to produce, or he would release the film independently and unlawfully.
Naturally, we did not agree to these demands.
Any advertising or publication related to “Order of the Dragon” distributed by Mr. Katusin is done without our consent and without any legal basis. We therefore ask that such content be reported, as Mr. Katusin holds no intellectual property rights to this project.
Furthermore, cast members were encouraged to participate in promotional activities against their own wishes. Mr. Katusin also independently and without prior coordination filmed additional scenes for himself and his role. These scenes were at no point part of the agreed and finalized script.
The composer we engaged for the score, David Michael Frank – known for Above the Law, Hard to Kill, and Forrest Gump – was also prevented from continuing his work, as the film, as mentioned above, has been unlawfully withheld.
In addition, the actual producers as well as several cast members were wrongfully removed from IMDb, creating the false impression that Mr. Katusin is the main producer and holds the rights.
At no point did Mr. Katusin show any willingness to engage in constructive, solution-oriented discussions with us. Furthermore, he commissioned a third party to handle the film’s post-production without our consent.
During a visit to Croatia with the intention of retrieving the material—material to which we are contractually entitled at all times—we were prevented from doing so and were instead accused of acting unlawfully. From our perspective, this visit was portrayed in a criminalizing manner by Mr. Katusin, as if we had no right to reclaim our own material.
In addition, we were filmed against our will in this context in order to stage his version of events.
These and numerous other incidents ultimately led to a clear line being crossed for us.
In order to protect our cast and the film, we are prepared to take all necessary legal measures to put an end to these actions. We will prevent any illegal release by all means available to us.
We will not allow the hard work of the entire cast to be discredited.
We will, of course, keep you updated on any further developments.
Lead image: Retro Gold 63
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
