Warner Bros. Wants Watchmen Call Sooner

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Warner Bros. Wants Watchmen Call Sooner

January 7, 2009

Fox and Warner Bros. had agreed to let Judge Gary A. Feess decide whether to issue an injunction against the Watchmen. The decision was scheduled for Jan. 20, but Warners is asking that the hearing be moved up to as early as Monday because "time is critical," the studio argues in papers filed this week.

Watchmen for a release on March 6th and the studio must soon commit to tens of millions of dollars in marketing for a film it isn't sure it can release.

The injunction fight stems from Feess' Christmas Eve preliminary ruling that Fox has a right to distribute the Zack Snyder adaptation of the popular graphic novel. Feess found that producer Lawrence Gordon failed to acquire Fox's entire interest in Watchmen, thereby leaving Fox with rights under a 1994 turnaround agreement.

You can read more on the papers filed this week here.

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Posted by: Batman Fan on January 8, 2009 at 00:12:02

God i hope this ends for the better!!!

Posted by: Legion Rules on January 8, 2009 at 00:24:28

We may never get to see another Dc Comics based movie, even though Watchman is not really Dc. However i hope that the goes over peacefully so that those of us whom have been waiting to see movie can enjoy it.

Posted by: isisdawn on January 8, 2009 at 00:34:25

ugh all this bad news is so dismal. I want to see this movie so bad.

Posted by: MGK on January 8, 2009 at 00:39:08

GOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH I FREAKIN HATE FOX SOOO MUCH AND THAT FREAKIN JUDGE PISSES ME OFF MORE THAN EVER

Posted by: Jdub20 on January 8, 2009 at 00:45:24

Im glade WB is trying to get this done and over with and hopfuly release it in someway, im surprised Parmount isnt fliping out, i could be wrong but they own a share or two in this movie also...the only reason for this and i was talking to some people about it, fox is basicly on the brink of having to stop making movies since none of there films last year except What happend in vegas and horton hears a who maid there money back, everything alse floped and the only hit they have going for them this year is the new X-men origins movie,
i hope to god, that they finaly realize were not only going to the movies for big explosions but for story and were not all kids u dont need to cut the movies down to the point where u cant understand what ever the hell is going on, i just hope and i mean hope WB wins this, but if not maybe they could always relase Trick R Treat this year

fingers cross we win, if not fingers cross we get Trick R Treat

o and ps i think wb is going to win couse if they did have something good to go in to court wit they wouldent want to make it sooner

Posted by: sufferblind86 on January 8, 2009 at 00:47:50

Legion, just because of this case, doesn't mean no more DC movies will be made.

Fox needs to just be smart. Either pay WB for the production of the movie, releasing it themselves or allow WB to releas release it and take a share of the profit.

Shelfing it will make this entire lawsuit pointless.

Posted by: Murph on January 8, 2009 at 00:48:13

Come on, Gary, give 'em a break! I'll love ya for it!

Posted by: Ricky C. on January 8, 2009 at 00:50:51

Down to the wire. Let's see what happens. (crossing fingers..)

Posted by: M. Bison on January 8, 2009 at 00:53:33

I agree with Warner Brothers they deserve a shot to call another case against Fox for taking Watchmen's distributing rights away from Warner Brothers. If, Fox is not willing to share profit the film's rights with Warner Brothers then WB will have to sue Fox for stealing and plagiarizing their own film project rights.

Posted by: Birds on January 8, 2009 at 01:16:18

A plague on all of their houses!

Posted by: peter_parker0027 on January 8, 2009 at 01:20:49

I could care less how the court stuff ends......Just bring on the film!.....I can't wait to see it! Who feels me?

Posted by: Tony on January 8, 2009 at 01:22:40

Hopefully the movie will come out on time which i have a hunch it will even with all this drama.

Posted by: Gambit on January 8, 2009 at 01:23:55

Bison, I think that you and I are destined to disagree on just about everything because now, once again I feel I must point out that legally speaking Fox has done nothing wrong, whether it has or hasn't done anything wrong morally is irrelevant legally speaking.

First of all for those who seem to think that Fox just recently filed this lawsuit a few months ago allow me to correct you, SHH actually posted a few weeks back that they filed their lawsuit wayyyyyy back in February of last year and so they did not wait until the very last second and though there is no documentation that I'm aware of I'd argue that it's safe to assume that they probably confronted The WB about this sometime before filing the lawsuit.
Now regarding whether or not Fox are a bunch of thieving, lying, plagiarizing jerks is a different story. They did in fact at one right hold all the rights and now WB owns most of them, but WB screwed up and did not acquire all the rights for the movie. The following for crying out loud is mentioned in this article:
" Feess found that producer Lawrence Gordon failed to acquire Fox's entire interest in Watchmen, thereby leaving Fox with rights under a 1994 turnaround agreement."

Thus the film's producer screwed up. Now I don't recall who posted it, but someone posted on this site that supposedly someone at fox screwed up and one set of rights didn't was accidently left out and Fox is being immoral by now holding up to the bargain, but as far as I'm concerned this rabid fan of Watchmen is posting a belief and not a fact. He didn't have any sources listed and so until I get sources as far as I'm concerned, Fox has legally done nothing wrong.

Also, I would argue that if the roles were reversed that WB would be pulling the same crap that Fox is. They are after all both ruthless corporations who care nothing for the little people, just how much money that can be squeezed into their pockets and Watchmen is primed to provide them with more Green than they could possible pocket.

All you people calling Fox evil are only doing this because you're pissed that Fox may be causing a delay to your beloved Watchmen, you're ill-informed or because your stupid. It's one of the two.

Posted by: Fox blows big donkey pee pee's with milky dix on January 8, 2009 at 01:27:50

It won't be released in March...it's obvious the judge is going to rule in Fox's favor again, so damn, all hope is gone.

Posted by: HalJordanparralaxatives on January 8, 2009 at 01:36:54

No ones going to be watching the watchmen!

Posted by: HalJordanparralaxatives on January 8, 2009 at 01:37:49

by the way, Megan fox is hot!

Posted by: Soup on January 8, 2009 at 01:56:21

WB ****, tens of millions of dollars in publicity? THIS PUBLICITY IS FREE!!! You don't even have to make another commercial for this to be the highest grossing movie of the summer, just keep making the news! Oh and, actually RELEASING the movie couldn't hurt.

Posted by: JOKER on January 8, 2009 at 01:58:25

FOX sucked wayyyyyyyyyy befor this BS so who cares. let them cry about it.

Posted by: hockeyboy89 on January 8, 2009 at 02:37:08

I guess MrRuiz420 is the expert. LOL Seems a judge agrees with Gambit at least in part. Now how's the idiot? BTW, I could care less about this movie. I'm just glad to see WB getting nervous since they are screwing us Superman fans over. But, I digress....hope you guys get your movie.

Posted by: jeremy on January 8, 2009 at 03:29:37

if watchmen don't come out, i will have no reason to go to the movies this year. damn you fox!

Posted by: Melies on January 8, 2009 at 03:32:11

WOW...

Alan Moore must be laughing in his beard right now.

Posted by: eelyajekim on January 8, 2009 at 03:34:31

this would be in the DVD/blu-ray extra entitled
Who watches the watchmen?
Judge Gary A. Feess does.

Posted by: Anthony on January 8, 2009 at 03:47:13

Man, WB makes me laugh. They are terrible - I mean, how do you spend hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars on a property you DON'T FULLY OWN THE RIGHTS TO. Buncha idiots. I don't like FOX either, but I can't blame them here. I'd give 'em half the distribution rights.

Posted by: Name on January 8, 2009 at 04:12:22

Time Warner (Warner Bros.) owns DC. DC owns Vertigo. Vertigo published Watchmen. Therefore Warner should have the rights over the property. Case closed. Fox can suck on cold, frozen penis for all I care.

Posted by: senorashish on January 8, 2009 at 06:24:06

Can't WB just buy whatever stake FOX has in the Watchmen movie (i.e. rights, partial rights, copyright, etc.)? I mean, seriously, my fear is that WB is going to have to give FOX a shiney finished product and FOX being FOX, they're going to chop up the film by one hour and water it down to a PG-13 and what not. Damn. This sucks. C'mon, WB! Pull through! Get some good lawyers! You can afford them with all the money you guys made off of "The Dark Knight."

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