 Who watches the Watchmen? According to a report from Variety, the studio bigwigs at Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.
In a plot twist so shocking that it makes the Alan Moore epic look like an episode of "Muppet Babies," a judge has denied Warner Bros.' motion to dismiss Fox's lawsuit over Warners' right to the film version of "Watchmen." Fox claims that they never ceded their rights to the comic book property, which has been in development for two decades.
"According to the federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, Fox retained distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons through a 1991 claim," reports Variety.
"Furthermore, Feess appears to agree that under a 1994 turnaround deal 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."
And if you think the nightmare couldn't get worse, you're wrong. Fox isn't seeking monetary compensation from the project—they want to prevent the film from being released altogether.
"We will be asking the court to enforce Fox's copyright interests in 'The Watchmen' and enjoin the release of the Warner Bros. film and any related 'Watchmen' media that violate our copyright interests in that property," Fox said in a statement.
Warner Bros. also released a statement, though it is considerably more tight-lipped.
"It is our company's policy not to comment on pending litigation and thus will not comment on the specifics of this case," says the company. "That said, the court's ruling simply means that the parties will engage in discovery and proceed with the litigation. The judge did not opine at all on the merits other than to conclude that Fox satisfied the pleading requirements. We respectfully disagree with Fox's position and do not believe they have any rights in and to this project."
Discovery processes can take up to two years, according to the report, but the court has asked both parties for expedited discovery due to the film's scheduled Spring 2009 release.
At the least, this lawsuit will be yet another testament to the continuing curse of "Watchmen's" film development. At it's worst, however, it could prevent the movie from seeing release altogether. That would surely put a smile on Alan Moore's face, but it would be the ultimate ball tap to "Watchmen" fans everywhere. Fans, looks like it's time to start wearing a cup. |
