fox Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I don't know how many moons orbit Cameron's fantasy planet Pandora, but I'm just going to assume they're currently all heading for alignment. Screen Daily tells us that Avatar's two-months away release in China has caused no less than four of its own would-be blockbusters to hide from the giant shadow the blue cat-people will inevitably cast when they debut there January 1st. Zhang Yimou's remake of the Coen Brother's 1984 directorial debut Blood Simple has now decided to bow closer towards the beginning of December. Same goes for the road movie Wu Ren Qu, The Pang brother's fantasy/action sequel The Storm Warriors, and the sci-fi western Treasure Hunter (starring Jay Chou, who America will soon know as Kato in The Green Hornet).

Now I understand that few people who read Cinematical are going to be affected by the release date shift of those four films, but what makes this news worth paying attention to is the fact that these changes slot Avatar into a position in which it could conceivably earn its budget back from Chinese cinemas alone. The biggest time of the year for the Chinese box office is the three month window that covers Christmas, New Year, and the Chinese Lunar New Year and now that these four domestic films have made way for an international usurper, it means Avatar will be taking over a whopping 80% of China's screens during its most crucial box office season.

It's as inevitable as the tides. Once something becomes a genuine industry to the tune of a $4 billion dollar marriage, the lawsuits quickly follow. On the heels of the Siegel and Shuster lawsuits that dismantled the world of Clark Kent comes a lawsuit from the estate of Jack Kirby that targets all things Marvel. According to The New York Times, the Kirby heirs have sent 45 notices of copyright infringement to Marvel, Disney, Paramount, Fox, Sony, Universal, Hasbro, and just about everyone else in the world. Kirby created (or co-created alongside Stan Lee) just about all the big Marvel characters so anyone using them must now face the the Kirbys and Toberoff & Associates. (The same law firm that handled the Siegel and Shuster lawsuits, which is no coincidence.)

The Kirbys seek to win the copyrights back to Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc., and claim some (or all) of the profits. If they win back the copyright, it wouldn't kick in until 2014 so presumably they wouldn't be able to claim the "back profits" the characters have made, but anything going forward would be a problem. As Bleeding Cool notes, Disney and Marvel will always own the trademarks, and the movie studios would probably also be safe in their acquisitions, but continuing to publish anything Kirby created would be problematic.

The attorney Marc Toberoff declined to comment on the case, but Disney released an official statement that shrugged off the lawsuit, noting "the notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights 7 to 10 years from now, and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition." This will undoubtedly be a case fraught with as many tangles as the Siegel and Shuster suit was. Will Marvel end up owning Iron Man's armor, but the Kirbys will own Tony Stark and Pepper Potts? Will it create problems for Marvel Studios down the line? We shall watch and see.

Most comic book fans agree that if there was one really solid thing about the two Fantastic Four films, it was Chris Evans. He was the perfect Johnny Storm! It's a shame when a superhero franchise fails its good performers, and reboots them right out of the picture. I had a chance to ask Evans what he thought about the Fantastic Four reboot, and not only was he gracious enough to answer, he wishes the new franchise nothing but good luck.

"I don't think I'm going to be involved in it. I would imagine a reboot would be -- a reboot! I think they're going to start from scratch and that's the way those movies go. I mean, they're doing it with Red Dawn too. Sometimes they happen quicker than others. Batman there was a big chunk of time, and the new Batman movies are fantastic. Superman, Incredible Hulk. Sometimes its a big gap, sometimes there's a small gap. If there's room to reinvent a franchise in a different tone and they can make a good film out of it, so be it. I'm not going to have anything negative to say about it."

Would it feel weird to watch someone else play the Human Torch? "Well, of course. But I've done plays and then I'll go see someone else do the same play, and be like 'Hmm. I did it differently!' You know? [laughs] Of course. But let's not confuse weird with bad, or weird with negative. Weird is in no way [negative]. No way would I have any -- I welcome the new franchise. I hope it's fantastic. I like good movies! I'm sure Michael Keaton felt the same way, I'm sure Christopher Reeve felt the same way. If it's a great movie, let's make it. Let's get it out there. There aren't enough of them."

In the day's "frivolous lawsuit" news, according to a story on PR Newswire, Fathom Studios, the producers of the little-seen animated film Delgo are contemplating legal action against the makers of Avatar, James Cameron's 12-years-in-the-making return to mainstream filmmaking. "From what we have seen, we are amazed by the visual similarities between the two films," a Fathom spokesperson said. "We are reviewing what legal options may be available to us."

The bad news for Fathom is that lawyers for Fox, the studio distributing Cameron's film, are tenacious and shrewd; earlier this year, a dispute between Fox and Warner Brothers over the adaptation rights of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' source material almost derailed the release of Watchmen, and the subsequent settlement virtually ensured that Warner turn over a big chunk of the film's profits to Fox. And of course, there's also the fact that a trailer for a film may or may not actually contain all of a film's surprises, story developments, or ideas, so Fathom may be gobsmacked over several images in the teaser which ultimately have little or nothing to do with Avatar's overall content.

This story simultaneously has thrilled me, and left me ashamed. But let's start with the thrilling part first. Somewhere in all the many comics that are bought up and hoarded by studios big and small, Fox actually bought Greg Rucka's Queen and Country. What makes rather unbelievable is that Queen and Country isn't about a superhero, or manly monster hunter. It's a series centered around a woman who is an operative of the SIS, aka MI6. We're talking a lady James Bond. Since when has Hollywood thought that would fly?

Well, someone at Fox is brave enough to give an action heroine a chance. The studio has done more than option Rucka's comic, as The Hollywood Reporter says that they've hired Ryan Condal to bring Tara Chace to life. You couldn't ask for a better choice, as Condal has solid credentials at DC and Marvel, including a stint with Wonder Woman. Condal's Galahad script also landed on the Black List of awesome, unproduced work. So, Queen is getting the royal pre-production treatment, and should be able to lure in even more when the script is all ready and polished.

Now comes the shame -- I still haven't read Queen and Country, as I was waiting for it to wrap up, and then just completely forgot to pick it up. (I think I held it in my hand this year at ComicCon which makes me feel even worse.) I will rectify this immediately so I can howl with outrage or cheer with delight when they cast Tara Chace.

It's tough to lose a legend like Paul Newman, and the rush of DVDs, biographies, and rumor mongering don't make it any easier. The rush of merchandising seems to walk a fine line between actually honoring the person, and pure graveyard profit. You can decide what category Fox's upcoming Paul Newman Tribute Collection falls into. I'm going to err on the side of classy, even at its steep price of $89.98, because it contains a total of 17 DVDs. The list includes:

The Long, Hot Summer (the film that Newman Joanne Woodward met on)
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys
From the Terrace
Exodus
The Hustler Collector's Edition
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
What a Way to Go!
Hombre
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Collector's Edition
The Towering Inferno Special Edition
Buffalo Bill and the Indians Or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Quintet
The Verdict Collector's Edition

The collection goes on sale on September 22. It's definitely a fine collection of films (and it's especially nice to include the posh Collector's Editions of films like Butch Cassidy, unfortunately the notes say nothing about the lesser known films like Exodus or Quintet getting the remastered treatment. Still, it's a chance for a lot of people to meet some gems of Newman's impressive career for the first time, and for longtime fans to rediscover a film they forgot all about. To sweeten the deal, the set comes with a 136 page softbound book with new photos of Newman, photos of cast, crew and sets of the film along with , movie excerpts, and personal quotes from the man himself. The book alone might help tip the balance -- he was possibly the most beautiful man to have ever lived! Who wouldn't want a nice book like that?

[via DVD Active]

Just when we thought we had seen the last of gossip columnist and part-time movie pirate Roger Friedman, it looks like the guy has found a new home at The Hollywood Reporter. The trade paper announced that they've hired the infamous writer to head up their new celebrity news feature. According to THR editor Elizabeth Guider, Friedman was joining the team because, "For some time, THR has wanted to beef up its coverage of the celebrity world and how it intersects with and influences the business of show business. Bringing Roger on board gives us a great leg up in that effort and will help extend our audience reach."

In case the name isn't ringing any bells, Friedman infamously covered the OJ Simpson trial back in 1995, and was also considered one of the 'leading authorities' on Michael Jackson after covering the pop star's 2005 child-molestation trial. Friedman always had a taste for the tawdry, and over the years, broke some equally seedy stories about Anna Nicole Smith and the collapse of Rudolph Giuliani's marriage. But after Friedman published a review of Wolverine using an unfinished print that had surfaced online, he was quickly (and publicly) fired. Granted, it didn't come as a big shock, but you almost felt sorry for the guy ... almost. Even if you didn't want to argue about the morality of Friedman's actions, you have to wonder: just what did he think was going to happen when he admitted to downloading an illegal copy of one of the summer's big releases?

Friedman already has a reputation for fighting dirty, but as periodicals jostle for position among a growing pool of online competition, I guess even THR isn't above playing fast and loose for a scoop -- and it looks like nobody is willing to bend the rules like Friedman.

If you believe the post-Oscars party talk, it's official: Emily Blunt is out as the Black Widow. According to The Playlist, Jon Favreau was cornered by E! at an aftershow party, and confirmed that Fox had exercised its option on Blunt, and pinned her into Guilliver's Travels.

Now, given that there's so little finalized on Iron Man 2, I think it's very possible that Blunt could still pop in. As it stands now, the cast consists of one Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, and Don Cheadle. Even Gwyneth Paltrow told MTV News has no idea if she's returning as Pepper Potts. They haven't even given me a script yet. They don't tell me anything. I could be, like, a costume assistant in it. I know nothing."

But, if Mickey Rourke decides to sign once and for all, they could have it before cameras pretty quickly, and that means they would need a new actress. Let's just hope that Favreau & Co aren't lured by the curves that are Scarlett Johansson, and either accept Eliza Dushku's very public offer (she can speak Russian, and she'd be better than Johansson) or wait around until Blunt can return. I'd prefer the latter. I mean, Favreau always did think that April 2010 release date was unrealistic.

If Warner Bros. is to be believed, the studio is going to fight to the death to keep from making a payout to Fox. Their lawyers are running around swearing that a settlement is "unlikely," that they will prevail on appeal or at trial, that tonight they dine in hell, etc.

Don't believe it. Warner Bros. will pay up. Events over the next couple of weeks may determine how much they'll have to pay. But I would be astonished if Watchmen misses its date with the multiplex.

No one wants to go to trial in the best of circumstances. Something like 95% of all court cases settle. When it comes to big, multi-million dollar brawls between huge corporations, that number jumps even higher. Trial is expensive. Warner Bros.' legal fees would be astronomical. Trial is uncertain. Juries are unpredictable. You could be clearly right and still lose.

Furthermore these are not the best of circumstances for Warner Bros. I'll skip over most of the legal-speak involved here, but the crucial fact is that the judge has already decided the biggest issue in the case: whether Fox owns a distribution right in Watchmen. It's a done deal. The jury's not getting another crack at it. What's left to decide is stuff like damages and whether Warner Bros. should be enjoined from releasing the film. So even the best case scenario for Warner Bros. at trial isn't that great. To take a risk like that would be... Well, I repeat that I'd be astonished.