20th Century Fox win WATCHMEN case! - is the movie doomed for delay or destruction?

[Madwelshboy]

Warner Bros. have lost the case for WATCHMEN. According to the New York Times, a judge has claimed he intends to rule that 20th Century Fox do own a copyright interest in the Alan Moore graphic novel which dates back to the late 1980’s. What this means for WATCHMEN is unclear at this point but Fox have previously made it known they seek to permanently block the movie from being released which now must be seen as a distinct possibility.



Judge Fees made the surprise announcement last week, some time before the trial is set to begin in January…

“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.

One of the likely scenario’s from all this is 20th Century Fox winning a free MASSIVE summer tentpole which they can release under their banner, despite all the hard work Warner Bros. have gone through, and reaping the majority if not all the rewards in the process.

Another interesting thing to consider is whether 20th Century Fox will have the final edit on Zack Snyder’s film and whether they will tweak and cut it however they like. How would Fox butcher a near 3 hour deconstruction of the superhero genre? That is scary.

More on this as it comes in. But if Fox aren’t willing to play ball with Warner Bros. in distributing the pic then don’t be surprised if WATCHMEN is blocked from release for years.

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movi...estruction.php

[the fifth man]

Wow, that is really sad to hear. Greed never ceases to amaze me.

[jds1982]

There is no way that movie won't be released. There's too much hype and excitement about it. My guess is WB and Fox will either release it together after a delay, or one or the other will be forced to purchase either the copyright or the finished film. The thing that scares me is that they might destroy the film in the cutting room.

[the fifth man]

There is no way that movie won't be released. There's too much hype and excitement about it. My guess is WB and Fox will either release it together after a delay, or one or the other will be forced to purchase either the copyright or the finished film. The thing that scares me is that they might destroy the film in the cutting room.

That is a pretty disturbing thought.

[HirogenGater]

I hope the film get released, it actually looks pretty good.

[s09119]

Wow, that is really sad to hear. Greed never ceases to amaze me.

Amen...

[Madwelshboy]

Fox to Seek Order Delaying Watchmen Release

An attorney for 20th Century Fox says the studio will continue to seek an order delaying the release of Watchmen, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess last week agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. had infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the film, scheduled for release March 6.

Feess said Monday he plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.

Fox claims it never fully relinquished story rights from its deal made in the late 1980s, and sued Warner Bros. in February. Warner Bros. contended Fox isn't entitled to distribution.

Warner Bros.' attorney said Monday he didn't know if an appeal was coming, but thinks a trial is necessary and a settlement unlikely.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/wa...ws.php?id=7942

[The Prophet]

This is just stupid. This just shows the true spirit of Hollywood. An amazing graphic novel has finally been turned in what appears to be a great film after 20 years, and just months before it's about to be released; another company steps in and screws it over for the sake of greed.

And why are they trying to postpone it's release?! Can't they come to a settlement instead, that's how most of these things turn-out. Fox just wants to cash in on this without doing any effort.

It's ironic how an Entertainment Company is preventing entertainment :/

Although, on a side-note, Alan Moore must be loving this xD

[TheRandomOne]

This is a bad PR move for Fox. All of their movies flopped this year & Fox doing this will make the die hard fans not pay for the movies like Wolverine. Dragonball is going to fail either way. Fox is setting themselves up for another ****ty year

[the fifth man]

This is a bad PR move for Fox. All of their movies flopped this year & Fox doing this will make the die hard fans not pay for the movies like Wolverine. Dragonball is going to fail either way. Fox is setting themselves up for another ****ty year

I agree. This is not a good PR move at all for Fox. It could really end up biting them in the a**.

[Madwelshboy]

Warner Bros. Wants Watchmen Call Sooner
Source:The Hollywood Reporter January 7, 2009


Fox and Warner Bros. had agreed to let Judge Gary A. Feess decide whether to issue an injunction against the Watchmen. The decision was scheduled for Jan. 20, but Warners is asking that the hearing be moved up to as early as Monday because "time is critical," the studio argues in papers filed this week.

Watchmen for a release on March 6th and the studio must soon commit to tens of millions of dollars in marketing for a film it isn't sure it can release.

The injunction fight stems from Feess' Christmas Eve preliminary ruling that Fox has a right to distribute the Zack Snyder adaptation of the popular graphic novel. Feess found that producer Lawrence Gordon failed to acquire Fox's entire interest in Watchmen, thereby leaving Fox with rights under a 1994 turnaround agreement.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=7966

[Angela V]

Dec 30th I saw big cutouts of all the Watchmen at the theatre I went to. I had to go look at every one of them

[Madwelshboy]

Studios Say Watchmen Settlement Talks Productive
Source:The Associated Press January 9, 2009


Attorneys for rival studios fighting over the release of Watchmen told a federal judge on Friday that they're having fruitful settlement talks, reports The Associated Press.

Attorneys for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. asked the judge to delay a hearing Friday so those discussions can continue over the weekend.

U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess agreed to continue the hearing but says a trial over whether to block the film's March release is still set for Jan. 20.

Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told Feess that the delay would be "very, very helpful" to settlement discussions he deemed "productive."

Friday's revelation surprised Feess, who noted that Warner Bros. had been seeking to move up the Jan. 20 trial to next week, citing the film's marketing campaign and its March 6 release date.

Fox sued in February to stop the release of Watchmen, claiming Warner Bros. violated its interests by filming the tale. Feess agreed last month that Fox appears to have the right to distribute the film.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/wa...ws.php?id=7974

[Madwelshboy]

Fox, Warners near 'Watchmen' agreement
Tuesday, January 13 2009, 19:56 GMT

By Simon Reynolds, Entertainment Reporter

20th Century Fox and Warner Bros are allegedly "close" to making a deal that will allow Watchmen into cinemas on March 6.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two parties have held behind-closed-doors meetings over the weekend and yesterday to iron out the legal problems that have threatened the superhero epic's release.

Judge Gary Allen Feess last month ruled that Fox still owns interest in the movie and has the right to distribute the first feature film based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's graphic novel. A January 20 hearing date had been set in order to decide if an injunction is needed to block the film's theatrical rollout.

However, Warner Bros has declined to press its request to bring forward the hearing and the recent talks suggest that the two studios are near to a financial settlement. Fox also aired Watchmen TV spots during its season premiere of 24 over the weekend

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a...agreement.html

[the fifth man]

Yeah, I've started to see some previews for this on TV. I hope they can reach an agreement that works for both sides.