The upcoming biopic about Tony Pike, the legendary Ibiza hotelier and nightlife icon, has found itself at the centre of a legal dispute. According to an exclusive report by Deadline, the producers of the film Mr Pikes have received a cease-and-desist letter from MT Ink, the publisher of Pike’s official autobiography, Mr Pikes: The Story Behind the Ibiza Legend.
Lawyers representing MT Ink have accused High Fliers Films, the production company behind the biopic, of “misrepresenting” the movie as being based on the autobiography, when, in fact, it is not. The issue stems from a previous agreement between MT Ink and actor Tamer Hassan’s Skylight Media Entertainment, which had held the rights to adapt the book between 2018 and 2022. During this period, Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh and his co-writer Dean Cavanagh were commissioned to develop a script treatment. When the rights expired, MT Ink chose to collaborate with a different producer on a separate project. However, last month, High Fliers informed Deadline that it was working with Welsh and Cavanagh on a film titled Mr Pikes.
Name dispute and ownership claims
The controversy is further complicated by the film’s title, Mr Pikes, which closely resembles the name of the official autobiography. The additional “s” at the end of Pike’s name was also used for his iconic hotel, Pikes Ibiza.
Matt Trollope, the co-author of Mr Pikes: The Story Behind the Ibiza Legend and a representative of MT Ink, told Deadline: “In using the name Mr Pikes for their film project, we believe the producers have been misrepresenting their film as being based on the official autobiography, when it is not. Our lawyer has written to them accordingly, also pointing out that we own the exclusive rights to Tony Pike’s life story”.
Trollope further argued that this misrepresentation could damage the reputation and commercial interests of the legitimate rights holders.
High Fliers Films has strongly denied the allegations. Zach Rothwell, Head of International Sales & Distribution at High Fliers Films, told Deadline: “I categorically dispute the claims made by MT Ink and the publisher. This project is an original screenplay based on extensive independent research and publicly available materials”.
Uncertainty over Tamer Hassan’s involvement
There is also confusion regarding the involvement of actor Tamer Hassan and Skylight Media in High Fliers’ project. In January, Hassan told Loaded Magazine that he was preparing to portray Pike, yet High Fliers has not mentioned him in its recent statements. Deadline has reached out to both High Fliers and Hassan’s representatives for clarification.
The legacy of Tony Pike
Tony Pike was a larger-than-life figure in Ibiza’s nightlife scene, often referred to as the ‘Hugh Hefner of Ibiza’ by Boy George, though Pike himself rejected the comparison. In the early 1980s, he transformed a rural farmhouse into Pikes Hotel, which soon became a haven for celebrities and musicians. The hotel played host to extravagant parties and was frequented by the likes of Freddie Mercury, Princess Margaret, and George Michael, who famously filmed Wham!’s Club Tropicana music video there.
Pike sold the hotel to Ibiza Rocks in 2008, and it was relaunched in 2011 under the ownership of Andy McKay. Pike remained its first full-time resident until his passing in 2019 due to cancer.
Concerns from Pikes Ibiza owner
McKay issued a statement on the Pikes Ibiza website, distancing himself from the Mr Pikes film project and criticising the production team. He stated: “The team behind this film, in my view, are not acting in the best interests of Tony, his estate or the Pikes that we all love”.
McKay also expressed concerns that the film would fail to capture the essence of Tony Pike and the legacy he left behind. “I am speaking up in the hope that those who are tempted to finance this project realise this movie would not do Tony, Pikes or its story justice”, he wrote. “Pikes is a place of incredible history, unique beauty, quirkiness, eccentricity, intimacy and magic; a place that Tony built with his own hands and a place that has become an icon in its own right in Ibiza. I believe Pikes is a place that commands respect and deserves to be protected”.
The future of the film
Despite the legal challenges, High Fliers Films is pushing ahead with the project. Welsh and Cavanagh have spoken passionately about their vision for the film, with Welsh telling Deadline: “His story isn’t just about building one of the most iconic hotels in the world — it’s about the hedonism, heartbreak, and unrelenting passion that defined an entire era”.
As the dispute unfolds, the fate of Mr Pikes remains uncertain. Will the legal issues derail production, or will High Fliers move forward with their version of Tony Pike’s life story? For now, the Ibiza nightlife legend continues to spark controversy, just as he did in life.
