Well it looks like Fox and Warner Bros. are going to court over the rights to Watchmen. The lawyers will win and the fans will lose. We get the scoop today from our friends at ropeofsilicon:
Fox seeks to enjoin Warners from going forward Watchmen, saying in the lawsuit that it seeks to “restrain (Warner Bros. Pictures) from taking actions that violate Fox’s copyrights and which stand to forever impair Fox’s rights to control the distribution and development of this unique work.”
Fox claims that between 1986 and 1990, it acquired all movie rights to the 12-issue DC Comics series and screenplays by Charles McKeown and Sam Hamm. In 1991, Fox assigned some rights via a quitclaim to Largo International with the understanding that the studio held exclusive rights to distribute the first motion picture based on “Watchmen,” according to the lawsuit. When Largo dismantled, the rights were transferred to producer Lawrence Gordon. Under a “turnaround agreement” between Fox and Gordon, the producer agreed to pay a buy-out price to Fox if he entered into any agreement with another studio or third party to develop or produce “Watchmen,” among other things.The project apparently bounced around to Universal and Paramount before returning to Warners. Now, Fox claims that neither Gordon nor Warners has paid the buy-out price or advised the studio of any other conditions required under the agreement, including procedures necessary to acquire the rights to “Watchmen” from Fox.
If you have had the rights since 1986 and have not done anything with the film, I have a hard time feeling sorry for you. As far as I am concerned, as long as Fox gets back what it paid for the rights; they are square in my books. It seems strange that they are dealing with this issue now, why not keep track of your property and make sure it comes to fruition? If I was Warner Bros. I would inform Fox’s legal department to suck my Hungarian bag meat.
I find news like this incredibly boring and would usually not have much to say, but come on now. For 20 years Watchmen fans have been robbed of a movie because you did nothing with it, and now you are going to act like a bunch of jealous cunts because someone else is going to deliver? I do not care who “legally” is in the right, from where I am blogging Fox is in the wrong.
International friends and Watchmen fans – what are your thoughts?
