The thing that doesn't make any sense to me is why is Fox waiting until now to do anything about it? It's not like this is some under-the-radar movie or anything. This is a very high-profile motion picture that has been in the spotlight for well over a year. Why are they waiting until after principal photography is completed and the first trailer is out to start shit? It seems to me that Fox is probably just disgruntled that The Dark Knight is doing better at the box-office than any of their Marvel franchises have, so they want to get a piece of the DC action while it's still a hot commodity. After all, they're one of the few major studios without a stake in Watchmen (Warner Bros., Paramount, and Universal all stand to gain lots of cash from this one).
Edited By MovieWes on 1219210015
Watchmen
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OscarGuy
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Well, right now, it doesn't appear like Fox is wanting profits, but just to block the movie. Of course, I'm sure they'll work out some deal that will drag the whole fiasco out until the film launches, building on the controversy to sell tickets and thus make both companies boat loads of money.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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MovieWes
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Fox is full of crap. Watchmen was published by DC Comics, which is a property of Time Warner. Also, they spent no money to get this made, so they should have no right to profit off of it.
Edited By MovieWes on 1219182118
Edited By MovieWes on 1219182118
"Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution." -- Alec Guinness (Lawrence of Arabia)
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OscarGuy
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Who Watches the Watchmen? Perhaps No One.
Fox's 'Watchmen' lawsuit heats up
Judge denies WB's motion to dismiss
By DAVE MCNARY, TATIANA SIEGEL
A judge has denied a Warner Bros. motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s lawsuit over Warners’ right to make a film based on the graphic novel "Watchmen."
Ruling is potentially a huge victory for Fox, which could wind up as a profit participant in the film, and could cost Warners millions considering the film’s box office prospects. However, Fox’s legal team says it isn’t looking for monetary compensation and instead wants to prevent the big-budget film from being released altogether.
Project, which has been in development for two decades, finally began lensing in September with Zack Snyder at the helm. Warners was set to release the film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, on March 6 in the same slot in which "300" opened.
At the heart of Fox’s suit, filed in February, is the contention that it never ceded rights to the property. And according to the federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, Fox retained distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons through a 1991 claim. Furthermore, Feess appears to agree that under a 1994 turnaround deal with producer Larry Gordon, Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox’s remaining interest in "Watchmen," which was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement.
"It is our company’s policy not to comment on pending litigation and thus will not comment on the specifics of this case," Warners said in statement. "That said, the court’s ruling simply means that the parties will engage in discovery and proceed with the litigation. The judge did not opine at all on the merits other than to conclude that Fox satisfied the pleading requirements. We respectfully disagree with Fox’s position and do not believe they have any rights in and to this project."
The court has asked the two parties for expedited discovery; generally the discovery process can take up to two years. Because the film has already wrapped and is dated for spring 2009, the judge wants to move forward quickly.
"Warner Bros.’ production and anticipated release of ‘The Watchmen’ motion picture violates 20th Century Fox’s long-standing motion picture rights in ‘The Watchmen’ property," Fox said in a statement, though the graphic novel’s title is simply "Watchmen."
"We will be asking the court to enforce Fox’s copyright interests in ‘The Watchmen’ and enjoin the release of the Warner Bros. film and any related ‘Watchmen’ media that violate our copyright interests in that property."
Surprisingly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed instead of collecting a percentage of the box office.
"When you have copyright infringement, there are some damages you never recover," said a source close to the litigation.
Fox spent more than $1 million developing "Watchmen" but had not previously taken legal action against the project, which had been in development at Paramount several years ago.
The case resembles to some extent the copyright suit, also involving Warners, over "The Dukes of Hazzard," in which Feess also presided. The studio agreed in 2005 to pay producer Robert B. Clark at least $17.5 million for infringing on the copyright to his 1974 United Artists film "Moonrunners," which became the basis of the Warners TV skein "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Warners settled the "Hazzard" suit while faced with a preliminary injunction, issued by Feess, which would have canceled the release of the feature and seen all copies impounded by federal marshals.
Edited By OscarGuy on 1219180679
Fox's 'Watchmen' lawsuit heats up
Judge denies WB's motion to dismiss
By DAVE MCNARY, TATIANA SIEGEL
A judge has denied a Warner Bros. motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s lawsuit over Warners’ right to make a film based on the graphic novel "Watchmen."
Ruling is potentially a huge victory for Fox, which could wind up as a profit participant in the film, and could cost Warners millions considering the film’s box office prospects. However, Fox’s legal team says it isn’t looking for monetary compensation and instead wants to prevent the big-budget film from being released altogether.
Project, which has been in development for two decades, finally began lensing in September with Zack Snyder at the helm. Warners was set to release the film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, on March 6 in the same slot in which "300" opened.
At the heart of Fox’s suit, filed in February, is the contention that it never ceded rights to the property. And according to the federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, Fox retained distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons through a 1991 claim. Furthermore, Feess appears to agree that under a 1994 turnaround deal with producer Larry Gordon, Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox’s remaining interest in "Watchmen," which was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement.
"It is our company’s policy not to comment on pending litigation and thus will not comment on the specifics of this case," Warners said in statement. "That said, the court’s ruling simply means that the parties will engage in discovery and proceed with the litigation. The judge did not opine at all on the merits other than to conclude that Fox satisfied the pleading requirements. We respectfully disagree with Fox’s position and do not believe they have any rights in and to this project."
The court has asked the two parties for expedited discovery; generally the discovery process can take up to two years. Because the film has already wrapped and is dated for spring 2009, the judge wants to move forward quickly.
"Warner Bros.’ production and anticipated release of ‘The Watchmen’ motion picture violates 20th Century Fox’s long-standing motion picture rights in ‘The Watchmen’ property," Fox said in a statement, though the graphic novel’s title is simply "Watchmen."
"We will be asking the court to enforce Fox’s copyright interests in ‘The Watchmen’ and enjoin the release of the Warner Bros. film and any related ‘Watchmen’ media that violate our copyright interests in that property."
Surprisingly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed instead of collecting a percentage of the box office.
"When you have copyright infringement, there are some damages you never recover," said a source close to the litigation.
Fox spent more than $1 million developing "Watchmen" but had not previously taken legal action against the project, which had been in development at Paramount several years ago.
The case resembles to some extent the copyright suit, also involving Warners, over "The Dukes of Hazzard," in which Feess also presided. The studio agreed in 2005 to pay producer Robert B. Clark at least $17.5 million for infringing on the copyright to his 1974 United Artists film "Moonrunners," which became the basis of the Warners TV skein "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Warners settled the "Hazzard" suit while faced with a preliminary injunction, issued by Feess, which would have canceled the release of the feature and seen all copies impounded by federal marshals.
Edited By OscarGuy on 1219180679
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
I finished the final chapter last night, and I must say, it is superb. I'm interested in seeing how the film will be cut seeing that several stories are usually taking place at the same time, and I mean that on more than one level.
SPOILERISH NOTE:
I was on the verge of being pissed with the ending, but the final frame made up for it.
SPOILERISH NOTE:
I was on the verge of being pissed with the ending, but the final frame made up for it.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
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Franz Ferdinand
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I'd say the novel will sell quite a few copies thanks to the movie: a corporate bookstore close to my house has about 100 copies in stock, not your average graphic novel numbers. The trailer does indicate the look of the novel is there (and I have to admit it looks great), but again the substance is what's important. Here's hoping...
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anonymous1980
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He also did the Dawn of the Dead remake that was pretty decent.
I finished Watchmen. I have to admit that it is pretty great. I have NO IDEA how they can pull this off. It isn't your everyday run-of-the-mill superhero movie. Rewatching the trailer, I agree that they have the LOOK on target but what matters is the substance.
I finished Watchmen. I have to admit that it is pretty great. I have NO IDEA how they can pull this off. It isn't your everyday run-of-the-mill superhero movie. Rewatching the trailer, I agree that they have the LOOK on target but what matters is the substance.
I've been reading Watchmen the past week, (I finished chapter ten last night), and it's incredible. It's so complex and compelling; I'm interested in seeing how the film turns out. I could actually see someone like Scorsese, Fincher, or Gilliam tackling this, but Snyder is still iffy. The only other film he's done was 300 and the source material for that wasn't nearly as rich as Watchmen. The story really is an introspective look into the faults of America, human behavior, and mankind's various philosophies.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
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anonymous1980
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I've started reading Watchmen and I have to say I can definitely see why this has taken such a long-ass time to make it into the big screen. The material is so rich and so complex, I don't think it can be done justice even in 2.5 to 3 hour movie. And I'm only in Chapter 3!
They should've made it into a 10 hour HBO miniseries instead.
They should've made it into a 10 hour HBO miniseries instead.
And behold the power of the Watchmen Trailer, and the hidden power of Mamma Mia! This is related to several films, but I don't think it's necessary to post it in all of them.
Source: Rolling Stone
Smashing Pumpkins, ABBA Get Movie-Related Sales Boosts
7/21/08, 5:06 pm EST
The Smashing Pumpkins 1997 tune “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” has found a new life thanks to the upcoming Watchmen movie. Since it appeared in trailers for the film version of the cult graphic novel, “Beginning” is the number one most downloaded Pumpkins song on iTunes, and is one of the top forty most popular tracks overall. Interestingly, this is not the first time the song has been in a comic book movie as “Beginning” was originally released on the Batman and Robin soundtrack. On the other side of the music spectrum, Abba is getting a boost in record sales thanks to the new Mamma Mia! movie: The soundtrack is number one on the iTunes top album chart, and Abba’s Gold: Greatest Hits, has jumped back into the Billboard catalog album charts after a two year absence, where it currently sits at number six. An Apple spokesperson commented, “Often times there are relations between songs prominently placed in movies or ads and their success on the iTunes
Source: Rolling Stone
Smashing Pumpkins, ABBA Get Movie-Related Sales Boosts
7/21/08, 5:06 pm EST
The Smashing Pumpkins 1997 tune “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” has found a new life thanks to the upcoming Watchmen movie. Since it appeared in trailers for the film version of the cult graphic novel, “Beginning” is the number one most downloaded Pumpkins song on iTunes, and is one of the top forty most popular tracks overall. Interestingly, this is not the first time the song has been in a comic book movie as “Beginning” was originally released on the Batman and Robin soundtrack. On the other side of the music spectrum, Abba is getting a boost in record sales thanks to the new Mamma Mia! movie: The soundtrack is number one on the iTunes top album chart, and Abba’s Gold: Greatest Hits, has jumped back into the Billboard catalog album charts after a two year absence, where it currently sits at number six. An Apple spokesperson commented, “Often times there are relations between songs prominently placed in movies or ads and their success on the iTunes
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
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anonymous1980
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