This hasn’t been the best Christmas Eve for Warner Bros. as the New York Times reports that 20th Century Fox has won a ruling against Warners towards their claim over the rights to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel Watchmen, which director Zack Snyder turned into a nearly completed film.
Originally, the matter was going to be settled at a trial set for late January, just six weeks before the intended release for Snyder’s movie on March 6. In a surprise ruling, Judge Gary A. Feess concluded that 20th Century Fox owns a copyright interest and have the right to distribute the movie themselves, having acquired the rights to the graphic novel in the late ’80s before shelving the intended film. Judge Feess has suggested that the studios work on a settlement or an appeal rather than going to trial, but we probably won’t hear the results of this decision until the New Year.
You can read the full New York Times story here.
