Fox Sues Warner Over WATCHMEN
As much as I am looking forward to the release of Watchmen in 2009 this here news could really put a dampener on my enthusiasm. According to The Hollywood Reporter 20th Century Fox have started legal proceedings against Warner Bros over the rights to develop, produce and distribute a movie based on the Watchmen graphic novel, claiming they have the exclusive copyrights and contract rights to Watchmen.
Here’s more information from The Hollywood Reporter article:
…Fox seeks to enjoin Warners from going forward with the project, saying in the lawsuit that it seeks to “restrain (Warner Bros. Pictures) from taking actions that violate Fox’s copyrights and which stand to forever impair Fox’s rights to control the distribution and development of this unique work.”
Fox claims that between 1986 and 1990, it acquired all movie rights to the 12-issue DC Comics series and screenplays by Charles McKeown and Sam Hamm. In 1991, Fox assigned some rights via a quitclaim to Largo International with the understanding that the studio held exclusive rights to distribute the first motion picture based on “Watchmen,” according to the lawsuit.When Largo dismantled, the rights were transferred to producer Lawrence Gordon. Under a “turnaround agreement” between Fox and Gordon, the producer agreed to pay a buy-out price to Fox if he entered into any agreement with another studio or third party to develop or produce “Watchmen,” among other things.
The project apparently bounced around to Universal and Paramount before returning to Warners. Now, Fox claims that neither Gordon nor Warners has paid the buy-out price or advised the studio of any other conditions required under the agreement, including procedures necessary to acquire the rights to “Watchmen” from Fox.
Bit complicated really, eh? Hopefully this will all be settled out of court and won’t have an impact on the movie, as principle photography is nearly completed and they were about to move to LA for the one year post production process.
A couple of things I don’t understand about this though. It hasn’t exactly been a secret that Zack Snyder and Warner Bros were making this movie. I can’t remember exactly when it was first announced but I’m pretty sure it was early last year, around the time of the release of 300, so why has it taken Fox so long to seek to put a stop to this production? The most obvious answer is that now, with the production so far gone, Warners are not going to want to stop making the movie so they will be forced to come to some kind of “agreement” with Fox, which will presumably involve a substantial amount of money, so that they can finish it off.
I really hope this is settled quickly as I am very excited about this release and would hate to see it suddenly shelved during a long and drawn out court case.
[Source - The Hollywood Reporter]
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