Twentieth Century Fox has won a key battle in its mission to halt Watchmen's release. But the war goes on.
A federal judge in Los Angeles has issued a preliminary ruling backing the studio's claim to an ownership stake in the Zack Snyder-directed flick that could prohibit Warner Bros. from unspooling it on March 6, much to the dismay of film geeks everywhere who've been anxiously awaiting a big-screen version of Alan Moore's famed graphic novel.
"Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture," read the Christmas Eve opinion issued by U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess.
The case is set to go to trial on Jan. 20. But all that could be avoided if the two rivals reach a settlement, which is apparently what the judge is recommending.
"The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review," Feess wrote.
Watchmen is based on the limited comic book series penned by Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and stars Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley as a band of outlaw superheroes who aim to stop a nuclear war from being launched by one of their own.
Fox sued Warner last February, alleging the studio failed to acquire all the rights from producer Lawrence Gordon when it put the project in turnaround in 1994. Some of the interests Fox contends it still retained were distribution and sequel rights that gave it a share of any profits if another studio made the film. Warner Bros. initiated work on the would-be blockbuster in 2005 and claims it had purchased all the rights fair and square.
The studio said in a statement Monday that it planned to fight the decision tooth and nail.
"We respectfully but vigorously disagree with the court's ruling and are exploring all of our appellate options," the statement from Warner Bros. read. "We continue to believe that Fox's claims have no merit and that we will ultimately prevail, whether at trial or in the Court of Appeals. We have no plans to move the release date of the film."
Despite taking heat from fanboys who accused it of trying to hold up one of the most anticipated comic book flicks of the year, Fox said it would continue to press its case and pursue a court order delaying Watchmen's release.
"We are gratified by the recognition of our rights in the judge's order, which speaks for itself," commented a studio rep.
A more detailed ruling on the matter is expected in the coming days.