Fox Files Injuction Against Watchmen's Release

[GrnMarvl14]

Source.

Nikki Finke is reporting at Deadline Hollywood that a federal judge has denied Warner Bros.’ motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s attempt to preclude the production of Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen” film, a development that could potentially have immense ramifications for WB in 2009.

In February of this year, Fox filed a lawsuit to prevent the WB project from going forward, claiming Fox had the exclusive rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on the hugely popular DC Comics graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Warner Bros. motioned for a dismissal of the lawsuit, and U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess denied WB’s motion last Friday. No decision has yet been made regarding Fox’s desire for an injunction of the entire WB project.
A Fox source told Finke, “"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."

This news comes after the recent announcement that the Warner Bros. film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” would be rescheduled from this November to instead premiere in 2009. Should 20th Century Fox manage to secure any profit from Warner’s “Watchmen,” the studio will need to count on the revenue generated by the Harry Potter film to maximize the year’s earnings.

Of Fox’s claim to the rights to “Watchmen,” Finke’s source said, “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.”

More on this as it develops.

Proving, yet again, that Fox sucks.

 

[Amewsment]

The filing of an injunction against the release seems highly unnecessary. Couldn't they have become up with a better solution to this issue? I am sure the team working on the film would have been prepared to compromise over this problem. While their injunction may have a legal basis it appears to me that they didn't even try to find an answer to this difficulty/uncertainty beforehand, instead of resorting to judicial means and deciding to take it to court. Granted it is my first impression and I haven't looked into the issue, but knowing Fox and the way they operate I could wager that my initial suspicion is not far from the truth.

 

[Silverwynde]

Of Fox’s claim to the rights to “Watchmen,” Finke’s source said, “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.”

Okay, exactly how long do these deals last? I mean, 14 years?! I would've thought that this would be expired by now.

 

[The Dude]

WB will likely settle with Fox for around 25 million. This will not help Fox, as they have only one surefire success coming up, Wolverine, while WB can count on multiple revenue sources, especially HP6. That move now seems remarkably prescient.

 

[GrnMarvl14]

Source.

The New York Times has published an article on the joint report that was submitted to the federal court on Friday by lawyers for both Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox about the Watchmen rights. Here's a couple of clips:

Fox has said it will seek an injunction blocking Warner's planned release of the film next March. Warner has argued that Fox should not be allowed to stop the movie, after standing by while Warner and its partners on the film, Paramount Pictures and Legendary Pictures, spent more than $100 million on the production, directed by Zack Snyder ("300").

The report also outlined conflicting requests for a trial date: as early as next June, if Fox has its way, or April, if Warner prevails.

Should be interesting to see how this gets resolved, and what effect it has on the release.