Could ‘Watchmen’ be Delayed Due To Legal Trouble?
That pesky Fox lawsuit is still around...
Back in February it was announced that Fox was set to sue Warner Bros. as they claim to have exclusive rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on the graphic novel “Watchmen,” a film in which Warner Bros. is set to release on March 6, 2009. We hadn’t heard anything more about the suit since then, but today Deadline Hollywood offers an update:
A judge has denied a Warner Bros motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s legal battle over the rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on the graphic novel Watchmen.
“In essence, the Judge appears to conclude that Fox retained distribution rights in Watchmen through the 1991 Largo quit 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 that was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement, ” a 20th Century Fox studio source just told me. “While the Judge’s opinion is preliminary and his views could change in the course of the litigation, his current take on the facts is consistent with our position.” I’m told the court has also order expedited discovery since it is still contemplating Fox’s motion for an Injunction.
Considering we have a little over six months until the release of Watchmen I have to assume something will be worked out prior to release date, but this is yet another reason why Warner Bros. may have moved Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince into 2009. If Fox manages to snage any portion of the profit earned by Watchmen Warner Bros. is going to be looking for alternate sources of box-office income. As Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood says, “This is indeed a stunning development which could imperil Warner Bros’ entire 2009 movie slate.”
I am sure additional, and official, information will be announced soon so stay tuned.
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