We have some news regarding the bullshit legal battle that Fox has brought against WB’s WATCHMEN and it isn’t good. We get the following scoop from our friends at cinematical:
Last month, Elisabeth alerted you to the legal turmoil bubbling around Watchmen. Basically, 20th Century Fox used to have the rights, and claim they still have them, so they’re trying to prevent Warner Brothers from releasing the eagerly awaited film. Warner Brothers, meanwhile, claims that Fox has sat silently until the film was set to go, knowing full well what was happening.
Now The New York Times says that Warner is pushing for a trial date of April, with Fox pushing for June. Assuming that the film can’t be released until this is cleared up, we might not only not get Watchmen in March, but also not in the summer of 2009. Will we have to wait until 2010?
The current release date for WATCHMEN is March 6, 2009. I sincerely hope this mess is cleared up before then, and that the matter can be settled out of court. Buzz coming from those that have seen this film has been very positive, and it would be a shame to keep this out of the hands of fans because Fox finally decided they want to go to court. This film has been talked about for some time now and Fox waited till everything was a wrap before they decided to throw their cards on the table and go to court. This is dirty, and I don’t care if they have a case - they are being flat out cocks about the whole thing.
I would have no problem if they went to WB at the onset and hashed their problems, but instead. they waited until the project was done and began to whet the appetites of the fans. This was done for strategic reasons and sadly, the fans now have to suffer for it. I understand that film is a business. The business exists because of a relationship the makers of film have with their audience. It’s the fans after all that make the movie machine run, and I suggest that they be treated with respect.
It’s too bad WB moved Harry Potter to next year, they could have thrown some of that money at Fox to pay their WATCHMEN tax.
17 Comments, Comment or Ping
John
To be fair to Fox, they were talking with WB for a LONG time trying to get it worked out. When that didn’t work, they went to court.
This is as much WB’s fault as Fox.
Sep 2nd, 2008
DON
I was just gonna say the same thing John. I think fox did try hard to talk to wb about it but wb didn’t care about it and now they are facing all these problems. I do know that fox has a bad reputation among geeks who love sci-fi, action and comic book flicks and so it is easy to jump on fox hate bandwagon but seriously folks wb aint any good. They fucked up the invasion and they are gonna fuck up where the wild things are by kicking out Spike jones out of the project. Also I am sorry but wb’d legal team should have fully researched about this project before making the movie but they didn’t and because of that all will suffer. So ya fuck you to wb for having such a shitty legal department.
Sep 2nd, 2008
DON
Oh and it is obvious Doug doesn’t do proper research too when he posts something.
Sep 2nd, 2008
John
Doug does look into stuff. Fox could be lying about talking to WB well in advance and WB could be telling the truth when they say Fox didn’t.
Sep 2nd, 2008
Dragonslayer
Fox, Warner Bros. makes better movies than you ever could. So let me just give a nice certafied FUCK YOU!!!!!
Sep 2nd, 2008
John
Hey Dragonslayer,
So let me make sure I understand this right. If WB makes better movies… you’re saying that gives them the right to steal?
Sep 2nd, 2008
Tom
As far as I’m concerned, yes. Not in a legal sense, but in a from-the-heart sense, and that’s all that matters to me.
Look at the way Fox has treated its own, proven properties - the ones it was practically built upon: Die Hard, Alien, Predator.
Now tell me they’d have the balls to try and do something as out-there as Watchmen the right way. They couldn’t even make a decent Fantastic Four movie, and they tried twice.
So the way this appears to a movie fan like me, who wants to believe that movie studios set out to make great movies and wants to reward those that do with my business, is that the people who wouldn’t have had the guts to do it right now want to reap the rewards of someone else doing just that.
Or, as Dragonslayer put it more succinctly: Fox, FUCK YOU.
Sep 2nd, 2008
Dragonslayer
Thanks for the assurance I’m not alone, Tom
Sep 2nd, 2008
John
Hey Tom,
Wow. I wholeheartedly 100% disagree with you. So stealing is ok.
Shall we put together a long list of WB movie that sucked?
Fox has a lot of oscar winning movies too.
But that’s all irrelevant. If Fox legitimately owns the rights to Watchmen, then it’s theirs. Period.
Fuck WB for not making sure they had all their “i”’s dotted and “t”’s crossed before being stupid enough to start production.
Sep 2nd, 2008
Freeman
John is the voice of reason on this website =)
Sep 2nd, 2008
Kristina
If this is true, then that trailer will be the greatest cocktease of all time. I’d never even read the graphic novel until I saw that trailer in IMAX before The Dark Knight. I borrowed the novel from a friend and was blown away by the thing. I’m really interested in seeing this movie, and I will be incredibly angry if they do move it back that far.
I still am puzzled as to how Fox allowed the film to go into production, release a trailer, go to Comic-Con and receive tons of praise…and then drop this stinkbomb all over it. It’s unfair to the people who put in so much hard work making the thing, and it’s unfair to the people who have already been promised a release date. Yes, I understand that Hollywood is all about the Benjamins, and studios in theory owe nothing to the fans, but this whole thing is just absurd.
Sep 2nd, 2008
Kristina
And don’t get me wrong, if Fox owns the rights, they have every right to sue. But this late in the game? Why now?
Sep 2nd, 2008
vargas
Because, like they said in the post, it was for strategic reasons. They can get a lot of money from WB if this movie in its finished stage is any good.
However, if this movie is released in 2010 that would really be a painful wait.
Sep 2nd, 2008
EZELL
This does suck fuck fuck fuck. Fox and WB are equal they both have made some amazing films I would agree Fox has sucked recently but that does not give the WB the right to steal.
And we don’t know the whole story so don’t just jump in saying fuck Fox or the WB.
Sep 2nd, 2008
Michael
This news about pushing the release date back because of the trial is contingent on there even being a trial in the first place. If Warner Bros. and Fox settle — probably to the tune of $25 million, maybe less — then there’s no need for a trial and Watchmen gets its March release. In fact, Fox’s push to start the trial in June, way past the planned release date, is probably an obvious grab for a settlement.
So let’s not freak the heck out just yet. I do not understand fans who are attacking Fox and saying they’ll boycott its films. At all. I understand you’re passionate about Watchmen — I am too — but both these places are businesses with legal teams and if Warners was in Fox’s position, it’d be doing the exact same thing.
Trashing and threatening Fox is a blanket insult to all the actors, writers, directors, and crew members who have ever worked for them — and it’s also really petty. It’s like Clinton supporters who’ve convinced themselves to vote for McCain.
Sep 3rd, 2008
Dutch
I get this feeling that this movie is being presented too soon in the new world of superhero movies. What I’m saying as a comic book (read: Geek) for forty plus years. Watchmen actually kicked a lot of us in the balls as to what a real “comic” book can be. If you know any of the politics of the book ex. the editor and writer fight over the “twilght zone” ending to the series. Saying the editor really wanted to show the world how serious this type of literature can be and the writer as earnest in his telling of his story. I’m just offering an opinion. Sit on this film!! Think more about it make it the “art” both comics film and entertainment need. Have a ramble enough? Just something to ponder for fun.
Sep 3rd, 2008
Dutch
I get this feeling that this movie is being presented too soon in the new world of superhero movies. What I’m saying as a comic book (read: Geek) for forty plus years. Watchmen actually kicked a lot of us in the balls as to what a real “comic” book can be. If you know any of the politics of the book ex. the editor and writer fight over the “twilght zone” ending to the series. Saying the editor really wanted to show the world how serious this type of literature can be and the writer as earnest in his telling of his story. I’m just offering an opinion. Sit on this film!! Think more about it make it the “art” both comics film and entertainment need. Have I rambled enough? Just something to ponder for fun.
Sep 3rd, 2008
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