Warren Beatty is suing a multimedia company in a legal battle over the rights to comic book detective Dick Tracy.

Beatty filed the suit at Los Angeles federal court last week, in an attempt to prevent Tribune Co. from forcing him to surrender the rights over the character.

Beatty has owned the film and TV rights to Dick Tracy since 1985, and has starred as the character in a 1990 film.

Tribune Co. said that they could reclaim the rights from Beatty if he did not produce a movie, film or TV special based on the character, over a "certain period of time".