On the eve of Christmas, during the season of giving, a Los Angeles federal judge has ruled in favor of 20th Century Fox’s claim of owning the copyright to Watchmen.
What?! Did Santa put a lump of coal in my stocking already?
The film, already shot by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, is set for release on March 6, 2009.
“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.
Fox acquired rights to the “Watchmen” graphic novel in the late 1980s for the producer Lawrence Gordon, but eventually dropped its own plan to make a movie from its story.
Ever since Warner Bros. went into production, Fox has been seeking to stop its eventual release. The superhero adventure, based on the “Watchmen” graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed “300″) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.
What will occur next is anyone’s guess. It could be as simple adding the Fox logo to the title cards and the studio getting a split of the profits, or the studio may delay the release entirely.
Source: New York Times
