Daring Young Men On The Trying Legal Ease

Huh. A federal judge has denied Warner Brothers' motion to dismiss Fox's lawsuit regarding the rights to distribute Watchmen, meaning the anticipated release could be delayed, completely ruining my only plans for March of next year. As Fox tells it:

"In essence, the Judge appears to conclude that Fox retained distribution rights in Watchmen through the 1991 Largo quitclaim, and he concludes that, under the 1994 turnaround, producer Larry Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox's remaining interest in Watchmen that was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement."

Warner Brothers has since added that

"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."

Yikes, legal things! Let's hope this gets sorted out in a reasonable amount of time. We've already had to cope with one unreleased masterwork of superhero cinema; we can't afford another.