LarryGordon Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Fox Aims to Delay 'Watchmen' Release
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Celebrities and Controversy », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Watchmen is not going to end 2008 on a high note. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer for 20th Century Fox has said that the studio will seek an order delaying the release of the film. Ever since Fox first filed its suit, Watchmen fans have been panicked that the film's legal woes would delay its March 6 release. Seriously, Fox, don't you just want some money? A nice chunk of money? Don't kick the Watchmen when they're down.Though the judge ruled in favor of Fox on Christmas, agreeing that Fox retained copyright on the film, he now plans to hold the trial as planned on January 20th. Warner Bros finally spoke out about the messy situation, via their lawyer, and said that he didn't know if the studio would appeal, but that trial was necessary, and a settlement was "unlikely."
So, despite that the scales of justice are tipped in Fox's favor, Warner Bros refuses to blink and agree to a payoff. Considering that Paramount already has the international distribution rights, they don't want to lose any more of the box office pie than they have to. Cue the theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and we'll keep you updated as this case drags into 2009.
Question: At what point do nerdy fanboys begin bombarding 20th Century Fox with nasty hate mail?
'Watchmen' Trial Moved Back to January 20
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Don't panic! You can start to sweat a little if you want to, I'm sure everyone associated with Watchmen might be. According to Variety, the Watchmen trial has been moved back two weeks to January 20th. The judge in charge of the case set the new date on Monday in order to settle a criminal matter on January 6th. He has also refused to make a pre-trial summary judgment, as requested by both sides, insisting that the original contracts between Fox and producer Larry Gordon are so open to interpretation that a trial is required.
They just keep upping the drama level of this whole mess. Why is the judge insisting on taking it to trial, ignoring the wishes of both sides to do a summary judgment? Is that a good thing? Are summary judgments too hasty or something? Is he stretching this out because he can? Can they still settle out of court? If there's a legal eagle in the Cinematical house, I'd love it if you weighed in, just for the sake of discussion and clarity. (Without a first hand look at the contracts, maybe that's impossible to do.)
While I still don't believe the film will be delayed, it is worrying to see its legal troubles inching closer and closer to its March 6th date. Neither side seems willing to blink, although Warner Bros might if it threatens all the money they've put into marketing. But think about it this way, readers -- if they do delay it, anything Watchmen that you own that's marked 03/06/09 immediately becomes more valuable!
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