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Warners, Fox settle over 'Watchmen'

Started by szelim,

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szelim

szelim

Posted
Posted

Warners, Fox settle over 'Watchmen'

Under the agreement, Fox will not be co-distributor

By Matthew Belloni and Borys Kit [hollywoodreporter.com]

Jan 15, 2009, 08:25 PM ET

Updated: Jan 15, 2009, 08:41 PM ET

 

Geeks can now rejoice.

 

Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over "Watchmen," with the studios scheduled to present the settlement to Judge Gary Feess on Friday morning and request that the case be dismissed.

 

Terms of the agreement will not be disclosed, but it is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film's boxoffice. Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it own a piece of the "Watchmen" property going forward. The studios are set to release a joint statement announcing the agreement Friday.

 

A Warners spokesperson would not comment on the settlement. A Fox spokesman said no final deal had been reached.

 

Fox sued Warners in February, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure the proper rights to "Watchmen" from Fox before shopping the project and eventually setting it up with Warners. Feess' decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.

 

While Gordon is not a party to the case, Warners is said to be pursuing the producer and his attorneys to reimburse it for the costs of the settlement. During the course of the litigation, Gordon's then-attorney admitted that he negotiated Gordon's 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a pre-existing 1991 agreement on which Fox has based its lawsuit.

 

The rare showdown between studios became particularly nasty in recent weeks, with Gordon and the film's other producer, Lloyd Levin, lashing out at Fox for making a claim on the film. Fox repeatedly has stated that it asserted its "Watchmen" rights before Warners began production on the film and that it sued only when its assertions were ignored.

 

With the settlement giving Fox a piece of "Watchmen's" revenue, the studio now has a rooting interest in the film's success.

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Aman619

Aman619

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seems to me that Fox settled for a smallish sum, rather than go to the mat and damage the films prospects with a long delayed release. I think its a smart move and found money.

 

And the show goes on! And somewhere down the road, Fox will get its teat caught in Warners wringer, and TW wont have forgotten WATCHMEN!

 

 

So DARK KNIGHT wins Best Picture this year.

WATCHMEN next year!

comics movies rule Hollywood for years to come.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

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If done right (how could it not be with all the planning they put into this), just think of all the other comic-inspired stories they can start to gear up finally. Especially those in the past that were always considered impossible to convert from print to film.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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During the course of the litigation, Gordon's then-attorney admitted that he negotiated Gordon's 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a pre-existing 1991 agreement on which Fox has based its lawsuit.

 

Man, studios are the devil and they just love the ambush technique.

 

"Let's negotiate the Watchmen right's release, while withholding a previous agreement that we will henceforth use in 2009 to totally screw you!"

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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The comic movie age is beginning to look just like the western movie age of the 40-60s.

 

Yep, 99% absolutely horrid schlock written for 6-year olds, with a few gems that might stand the test of time.

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Aman619

Aman619

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March is the new early Summer release date (albeit at this stage only for big iffy blockbusters like this WATCHMEN cause nobody is really sure it will go all the way yet because its different enough from previous comicbook films.) But opening in March gets a REAL jump on traditional Memorial Day Summer kickoff film openings. And WB should OWN that weekend and the next few weeks. If its a huge opening it could snowball rather than get drowned by other similar films opening right after them.

 

If WATCHMEN was perceived as a surefire summer blockbuster, it wouldnt be coming out in March. And if it reached 500-700 million, we will see MORE March openings in years to come. Gotta hit em where they aint!

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Bosco685

Bosco685

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heres a new headline on the terms of the deal as of this morning.

Fox & Warner Settle 'Watchmen' Lawsuit:

Warner Will Distribute;

Fox Gets 8 1/2% Gross + Cash +

Piece Of Sequels/Spinoffs[/size]

 

Sequels or spin-offs? The Watchmen? What, in case they want to focus on "Tales of the Black Freighter" as a separate story?

 

Sounds like maybe this could get into a franchise-type focus versus just telling the original story.

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DocGo

DocGo

Posted
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heres a new headline on the terms of the deal as of this morning.

Fox & Warner Settle 'Watchmen' Lawsuit:

Warner Will Distribute;

Fox Gets 8 1/2% Gross + Cash +

Piece Of Sequels/Spinoffs[/size]

 

Sequels or spin-offs? The Watchmen? What, in case they want to focus on "Tales of the Black Freighter" as a separate story?

 

Sounds like maybe this could get into a franchise-type focus versus just telling the original story.

 

The pirate story will be an animated add-on included on the DVD I think.

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