Fox Suing Warner Brothers Over Watchmen

By George 'El Guapo' Roush on August 18, 2008

This is pretty big news concerning the upcoming Watchmen movie:

A judge has denied a Warner Bros. motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox's lawsuit over the right to make a film based on the graphic novel "Watchmen."

Ruling is potentially a huge victory for Fox, which could wind up being a profit participant in the film, costing Warners millions considering the film's box office prospects. Project, which has been in development for two decades, finally began lensing in September, with Zack Snyder at the helm. Warners was set to release the film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, March 6 in the same slot in which "300" opened.

Judge appears to conclude that Fox retained distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons through a 1991 claim, and he concludes that under the 1994 turnaround with producer Larry Gordon, Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox's remaining interest in "Watchmen," which was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement.

So Warner was allowed to make the film, but not distribute it? I see. Basically Fox realizes now that they should have made this film, they didn't, they see how good it can be, and want a piece of the action.

I'm not a lawyer (I wouldn't be doing this if I were), but it looks like Warner Brothers may have to pay up if Fox owns the distribution and development rights to Watchmen. Kind of sucks for Warner Brothers because they were at least the studio TO TAKE A CHANCE ON MAKING THE MOVIE.

It's not like Fox executives read the papers and went online this past month and said, "What the fuck? Warner Brothers made a Watchmen movie?" They pretty much waited until the film was already completed before striking like cobras.

Click HERE for more on the issue from an older article posted at Watchmenthemovie.com and you can click HERE for even more info from the Wikipedia entry.

Comments?

Source:The Trades

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  Comments

• time/ warner not fox Wed Aug 20 at 08:54 EST

  hmmm i thought time/warner owns all the d.c. universe comics and film base on them? why would fox wanna touch what is not theirs? fox and lionsgate can have marvel universe but leave d.c. alone with it's company...

  Author: eric | Permalink

• Cross the T dot the I Tue Aug 19 at 11:52 EST

  Well, even if Fox waited till the last minute to pounce, it was just as much Warners place to make sure they had the distribution rights before they even made the film. Sounds like someone was dumb as nails and didn't do their research and check with legal and pulled a "Its not a big deal" or "it will never happen" move.

  Author: Brian | Permalink

• Snake Tue Aug 19 at 10:03 EST

  LOL, Snake it is. COuldnt have said it better myself. RD http://www.useurl.us/12u

  Author: Ron Dawson | Permalink

• Warner screwed up Tue Aug 19 at 09:17 EST

  Everybody's missing the point: Warner should have had their own lawyers check the agreements. They dropped the ball. If you were Fox and were left in this situation, you would have done exactly, totally, the same thing: let Warner take all the financial risk, wait to see if anything was gonna come of it, and then swoop in for some free money if it was successful. You can lie and say you wouldn't do this, but you totally would.

  Author: Jester | Permalink

• Doesn't suprise me. Tue Aug 19 at 06:37 EST

  Look at the comic movies fox has and is creating, look at the media, and news fox stands by. All around Fox is crap across the board. They had no way to make a good movie so they piggy backed Warner. I hope it gets out and they look like crap as people start comparing Warner comic movies to fox.

  Author: zsavior | Permalink

• Foxinfested Tue Aug 19 at 05:30 EST

  Have to boycott now, the less of my pennies fox has the better... was looking forward to seeing it in the cinema, this sucks ass, worse than when I found out Jeffrey Tambor was a scientologist and I couldn't watch arrested development.

  Author: BoycottBilly | Permalink

• The modern corporate strategy. Tue Aug 19 at 03:25 EST

  I think we need some kind of statute of limitations on these things. As others have said, it's not like Fox was unaware of the movie, just found out, and did something about it. They knew it was being made, and waited until it was done to do anything about it. It may follow the letter of the law but it doesn't follow the spirit of the law. I don't care about which multibillion dollar international conglomoration makes money, I just don't like this new practice of waiting and striking. Like SCO, Microsoft, RAMBUS, etc.

  Author: Tacofox | Permalink

• Chain of Title? Tue Aug 19 at 03:22 EST

  That's pretty crazy on WB's part. Usually the first thing a studio legal team does is establish a Chain of Title. How the hell this fell through the cracks is anyone's guess. Me thinks WB's laywers are going to get sued by the WB.

  Author: Jeff | Permalink

• Let us not forget Tue Aug 19 at 00:42 EST

  That 20th Century Fox still has the live action Dragonball movie coming out... I mean that has to make some money too right? Whatever they lose from Warner making Watchmen??????? Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?

  Author: TheOneWhoKnows | Permalink

• Who Cares? Mon Aug 18 at 22:00 EST

  I mean really, so what if FOX wants what seems in a legal sense is rightfully theirs. It may not seem right but thats how it is. Hell a give FOX a hand for not making the movie and still making money off of it. Either way we the fans will still see the movie so like an earlier poster said who cares who makes millions off of it.

  Author: Josh | Permalink

• typical Mon Aug 18 at 20:45 EST

  Typical corporate weasels. they couldn't do a good job with the titles that they had, (Fantastic Four, Electra, Daredevil...not including X-Men). Now they're going to leach off someone else's work. Shame on Warner for not doing their due diligience.

  Author: reddog | Permalink

• Mon Aug 18 at 19:06 EST

  so what? the flick is the flick. so what does it concern us who makes how many millions of bucks in the end?

  Author: pete | Permalink

• Dude I knew It!!!! Mon Aug 18 at 18:27 EST

  Since this story first came out I was worried, but like you said it George, they FUCKING WAITED UNTIL IT WAS IN THE CAN to pull this crap. And what kind of jackass judge actually lets this go through. Fucking Punk ass needs to get some reality shoved up his pooper and not fcuk with Watchmen or else we'll frackin Manhattan-ize his litigious self!!!!

  Permalink

• FOX aint fox Mon Aug 18 at 18:14 EST

  instead of FOX they should change their name to SNAKE just like you mentioned.

  Author: !_! | Permalink

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