NEWS: There May Just Be A God...

This is HUGE...

Attorneys for rival studios fighting over the release of the superhero flick told a federal judge on Friday that they’re having fruitful settlement talks. Attorneys for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. asked the judge to delay a hearing Friday so those discussions can continue over the weekend.

U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess agreed to continue the hearing but says a trial over whether to block the film’s March release is still set for Jan. 20. Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told Feess that the delay would be “very, very helpful” to settlement discussions he deemed “productive.”

Friday’s revelation surprised Feess, who noted that Warner Bros. had been seeking to move up the Jan. 20 trial to next week, citing the film’s marketing campaign and its March 6 release date. An injunction barring the film’s release also jeopardizes the $150 million Warner Bros. has invested in the “Watchmen” movie, the studio’s attorneys argued in court documents filed this week.

Fox sued in February to stop the release of “Watchmen,” claiming Warner Bros. violated its interests by filming the tale. Feess agreed last month that Fox appears to have the right to distribute the film.

So, it looks like we may just get a chance to see Watchmen come March 6th. WB should have tried to make a deal about 40 billion years ago, but it's good that it looks like it is getting done now. More on this as it comes...

Go see something good!

NEWS: A Brief but Horrible Watchmen Update...

So, with last weeks news that Fox had won their court case, it looks like we may have to wait to see the hotly anticipated graphic novel adaptation...thanks to cinematical for the news...

Watchmen is not going to end 2008 on a high note. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer for 20th Century Fox has said that the studio will seek an order delaying the release of the film. Ever since Fox first filed its suit, Watchmen fans have been panicked that the film's legal woes would delay its March 6 release. Seriously, Fox, don't you just want some money? A nice chunk of money? Don't kick the Watchmen when they're down.

Though the judge ruled in favor of Fox on Christmas, agreeing that Fox retained copyright on the film, he now plans to hold the trial as planned on January 20th. Warner Bros finally spoke out about the messy situation, via their lawyer, and said that
he didn't know if the studio would appeal, but that trial was necessary, and a settlement was "unlikely."

So, despite that the scales of justice are tipped in Fox's favor, Warner Bros refuses to blink and agree to a payoff.
Considering that Paramount already has the international distribution rights, they don't want to lose any more of the box office pie than they have to. Cue the theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and we'll keep you updated as this case drags into 2009.

Question: At what point do nerdy fanboys begin bombarding 20th Century Fox with nasty hate mail?

So, it looks like, unless a settlement is reached, which is unlikely at this point, the best case scenario is that we all see the release date moved back, but who knows how far. I still have hopes that a deal will be reached, but it doesn't look so good at this point, and it may just be me and my wishful thinking. I will keep you all updated as the news comes in...

Go see something good!

Watchmen's History of Problems...In and Out of The Courts...

Hey guys! So, early this morning, information was released, that says that the court date for the legal battle between Fox and Warner Brothers over the rights to the comic book The Watchmen, is set for January 6th. Well, the news on this court case has come quickly over the past month or so, and it may not be clear to some people how everything got to this point. I know I'm late on this news, but I had class so shoot me, this is a great piece of writing right here...

The wheels for a Watchmen adaptation began in August of 1986, when Lawrence Gordon, a Fox Studios executive, purchased the "rights" to the comic and it's adaptation. Fox first asked Alan Moore, the comic's author, to pen the screenplay, but when he declined, they went another way, with Sam Hamm, writer of the Tim Burton Batman films, who brought the first draft into the studio in September of 1988. Now, Terry Gilliam was attached to direct, but when they could only raise 25 Million bucks for the budget, roughly a fourth of the needed amount, he abandoned the project, which would not be restarted until 2001. In 2001, they got David Hayter, writer of X Men and X2 (also the voice of Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid), to write and direct it. He left in 2002, and in 2004, Darren Aronofsky was set to helm it, with Simon Pegg as Rorschach, but this also was put to an end when Aronofsky left to make the great film, The Fountain.

Fast forward to Feburary 8th, 2008, as today's version of Watchmen, helmed by solid director, Zack Snyder and starring Jackie Earl Haley, Patrick Wilson, and Billy Crudup, is just fiinshing up filming. On this date, Fox officially filed a suit stating that the finishing and release of this version of The Watchmen should be put to bed. Remember Lawrence Gordon? Well, it has been said, and is the basis of the lawsuit, that Gordon sold the rights to The Watchmen to WB, but neglected to pay out Fox. Gordon had left the studio as a producer, and shopped the rights around, without giving any sort of buy out to Fox. So, in August of this year, a judge denied an injunction by WB to get the charges thrown out, and now it is slated that this case will see the court on Janurary 6th, two months before the intended release of the film. The studios are trying to get this date moved up even further, so it looks as though they don't want to delay it. However, the date is in jeopardy, if WB and Fox don't settle out of court.

So, all of that being said, what do you guys think about the case? Is there one, or should this be thrown out? Don't forget, WB isn't to low on cash with The Dark Knight and next years Harry Potter film, so this may not even see a court. What are your thoughts??

Here's the trailer for The Watchmen...



In other news!
- In an interview with G4, Mark Millar said some pretty interesting stuff about the possibilities of the Superman franchise...

“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully release them one year after another,” continued Millar. “If it works out, we’ll have to start shooting next summer.”

Thoughts? What do you think about an epic Superman arch?

- Finally, Russell Crowe is NOT going to be Watson in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes adaptation...


So, that's all I've got now, so come back later for more news and notes!

Go see something good!!