Hi-Sci-Fi

by Irma Arkus

So we’re really fired up by Snyder’s stab at the Watchmen. Once Kevin Smith stamped the film with his blessings, announcing to the world that all is OK with this film, we felt immediately better about this massive cinematic undertaking.

However, all is not well with the Watchmen. As you recall, we have previously mentioned that Terry Gilliam had the initial impetus to imagine making Alan Moores graphic novel series into a cinematic production. It just never happened. As it turns out, the license to produce the film(s) has been sitting on many production company shelves over the years - 20th Century Fox included.

Currently there is a fierce ongoing legal battle between Warner Brothers, the company that ultimately funded the Zack Snyder’s production, and that of 20th Century Fox. According to NYTimes, Fox is currently after an injunction to stop the movie from being release, as apparently, they still own the production rights.

Warner Brothers on the other hand, stated that Fox has sat on the sidelines for a few years, fully knowing that the production of the film was ongoing. In fact, there is a statement by executive producer Lawrence Gordon, who goes as far as to say that he knocked on Fox’s doors offering the project, and it is only after being rejected by Fox that Warner Brothers took on the film.

Fox’s legal team has stated that they were “unaware” of production of the film, and the whole legality of production rights transfer is at this point murky as hell. My question though is - is there really anyone, apart from maybe Osama Bin Laden, who was unaware that the Watchmen was produced?

Are we really to believe that Fox’s executives were attempting some kind of media blindness test for a few years, and only now they have noticed that there is a film with the exact title as that envelope kept in a dusty safe?

I understand that to assemble a case and a legal team to pursue possible damages or rights takes a bit of time, but at this point, these outrageous allegations by 20th Century Fox are delaying a release of a much awaited film. The Watchmen were supposed to be released in March of 2009, and now we are looking at beginning of July.

July!!!!???? I was kind of personally hoping to see it…tomorrow if possible?

Either way, this spells further delays and the Fox (how appropriate) rubbing its paws, hoping for a piece of this marvelous money-pie funded by Warner’s Brothers.

In other news…MGM is up for sale!

More on the Watchmen to follow.