Watchmen Lawsuit Settled

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Political, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Distribution, Upcoming Releases

Watchmen fanboys - you can now take a collective sigh of relief. The fight between Mommy and Daddy is now over.

Although it looked as if March 6th would be scratched off the calendar, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. agreed to play nice and settled their differences. The last-minute negotiations kept the film in the theaters and the parties out of the courtroom.

For its part, Fox will get a upfront cash settlement to cover its original investment fees and its legal costs. (According to sources, that check amount is somewhere in the $5-$10 million range.) The studio will also will also get 5-8.5% gross participation in the first film and a percentage in any possible sequels. In turn, Warner will get to continue as planned with only their logo on the project.

Read More | Variety

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Watchmen’s Fate Handled in Federal Court

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Noir, Political, Thrillers, Distribution, Upcoming Releases

UPDATE: Warner Bros. and FOX have settled the lawsuit.

Time hasn’t been kind to fans of Watchmen. Although we’ve already hit the New Year, the battle between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox has just grown nastier. So what will this mean for the March 6 premiere?

Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess ruled that Fox did have rights to the graphic novel adaptation. Although the studio had the opportunity to launch the film back in the late ‘80s (and had spent over a $1 million developing the project), the movie never came to fruition. Producer Larry Gordon allegedly agreed to check back with Fox first on any future plans, but later took Watchmen over to Legendary Pictures and Warner. Fox filed then filed a lawsuit back in February claiming Gordon neglected to properly acquire their interest before making the move.

Click to continue reading Watchmen’s Fate Handled in Federal Court

Read More | Variety

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Dark Knight Gets Its January Return Date

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Thrillers, Awards, Box Office, Distribution

You might want to hold off buying that Batman DVD just a little while longer.

Although The Dark Knight will be available for home video starting this Tuesday, the movie will soon be hitting a much larger screen. Starting January 23rd, the second-highest domestic grosser of all time will once again be entering the multiplexes.

Why now? Well, there are two very good reasons. Those who don’t recognize the significance of the “premiere” date should know that it was chosen for a reason. January 23rd just happens to fall one day after the Oscar nominations are announced. Could Warner Bros. be planning on a posthumous nod for Heath Ledger? If so, a re-release could remind voters of this summer’s most noteworthy performance.

And the second reason? Money. Knight is very close to reaching the $1 billion mark. Another $4 million will put the blockbuster in a group currently occupied by Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Read More | Variety

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Dark Knight Set to Re-Release in January

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Mystery, Sequels, Thrillers, Awards, Box Office, Distribution

Warner Bros. now has plans to re-release Christopher Nolan’s record-breaking Batman sequel this January.

While I initially heard the news of The Dark Knight‘s re-release plan, I was excited to see that it may have a second chance to break Titanic‘s record; however, I was met with disappointment to discover that their motives linked to more materialistic goal named Oscar.

January is the prime voting season for the Academy Awards, and those determined folks at Warner Bros. don’t want anyone over there to forget about that impressive summer blockbuster of theirs.

Click to continue reading Dark Knight Set to Re-Release in January

Read More | The Hollywood Reporter

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Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Political, Thrillers, Celeb News, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

UPDATE: Thanks to one of those smarter people who actually brought a camera, The Game Jerk has posted a video of the Q&A that you can check out after the jump.

Although I have continuously kicked myself repeatedly for not bringing a camera last night, I was still at least able to mentally hold on to the great moments witnessed last night at a special screening of Iron Man. While the director was already scheduled to appear for a live commentary at Santa Monica’s Aero Theater, fans of Marvel’s first self-financed film were in for an even better treat when Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., showed up at the last moment.

Because of the fact that he had not recorded a commentary for the upcoming DVD, director Jon Favreau was quite exuberant over the fact that he was able to do so in person (also because he was not obligated to be politically correct).

Click to continue reading Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2

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Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Noir, Political, Thrillers, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

While most Watchmen fans only had the film’s release countdown to consider, a new development in the Watchmen copyright lawsuit has added a new date to watch out for: January 6.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess assigned the date for the case, which is set to decide whether or not Fox does hold the rights to the Watchmen movie. Between the January 6 court date and the film’s scheduled March 6 release, let’s hope that things go in the fans’ favor and they settle this between that time.

If the case goes according to Fox, fans of the highly-anticipated Zack Snyder film will never see that March 6 release happen, which could very well happen come January.

The dispute goes back to 1991, when Fox “quitclaimed” its right to Alan Moore‘s acclaimed graphic novel to Largo Entertainment, with an agreement that the production company was to release the movie under the big studio (if not, Largo Entertainment was to buy the rights through an agreed buyout formula from Fox).

Click to continue reading Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit

Read More | The Hollywood Reporter

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Watchmen Fans Protest Fox’s Lawsuit

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Horror, Mystery, Political, Thrillers, Celebrity Controversy, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Even though the much-anticipated film’s premiere is not scheduled until March 6, true Watchmen fans are not taking any chances with Fox’s plans to completely prevent the release.

ComicBookMovie.com has organized a petition in hopes that the people over at Fox change their minds about touching the classic graphic novel’s film adaptation. One fan named Wyatt Barlup is even planning to picket the Fox lots with like-minded, passionate comrades.

There are even those that are on the offense: readers at Comics2Film.com have suggested taking action against Fox‘s upcoming films The Day the Earth Stood Still and X-Men Origins: Wolverine by calling for a boycott. Whoever knew real life drama could be better than fiction!

Why such extreme action, one might ask? Well, probably the fact that Fox isn’t planning on settling this—the studio heads don’t want to see Zack Snyder‘s film released, period.

Click to continue reading Watchmen Fans Protest Fox’s Lawsuit

Read More | Variety

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Nightmare Before Christmas Director Provides Sneak Peek Into Coraline

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Universal, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Science Fiction, Casting, Distribution, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Sandman graphic novel will have much to celebrate for come this December with Coraline.

The director of the Disney classic, Henry Selick, as well as Beowulf writer Neil Gaiman have teamed up for the upcoming stop-motion film, which follows a young girl named Coraline who walks through a door that ultimately takes her to an alternate version of her life.

Judging by the behind-the-scenes clip (seen after the jump), the look and feel of the movie are sure to please fans of both collaborators. Watching the painstaking task of stop-motion animation, I now have a newfound appreciation for the art.

The film stars Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and Jennifer Saunders (Shrek 2).

Click to continue reading Nightmare Before Christmas Director Provides Sneak Peek Into Coraline

Read More | Variety

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Keira Knightley Takes a Stand Against Photoshop

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Period, Political, Romance, Box Office, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Distribution, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Despite past alterations of her breasts for publicity, Pirates of the Caribbean beauty Keira Knightley has finally put her foot down about the issue for her upcoming film.

Back in 2004, promotional posters for her film King Arthur raised her eyebrows as they appeared as if she had received an enlargement procedure she did not recall. “Those things certainly weren’t mine,” she said in a 2006 interview, despite the fact that upon her approval, she had told marketing, “OK, fine. I honestly don’t give a s—-.”

This time around, Knightley isn’t as disinterested about her chest in The Duchess. Instead, she has told studio executives that she refuses to have her physique altered in any way for promotional purposes. Kudos to Keira for sticking up for those who aren’t as gifted as most celebrities nowadays!

What’s sad is the fact that she has to fight. Gotta love a society that has to enlarge a woman’s bosom in order to bump up ticket sales, eh?

Read More | New York Daily News

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Snyder Pleases Fans at Comic-Con With Additional Watchmen Footage

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Horror, Noir, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Distribution, Filmmaking, Rumors, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

Continuing to update you on everything Watchmen related, we’ve got the news from San Diego this past weekend.

Absolutely everyone and their mother were talking about Watchmen after Comic-Con, drooling over the eight new posters revealed, as well as an extended trailer.

One of the last shots of the trailer, that which depicts Mr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) blowing up enemy soldiers, is more gore-happy detailed. The trailer also included quick shots of the Comedian’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) scar origins as well as Laurie (Malin Akerman) unzipping her costume…

“People are starting to realize that superhero movies don’t just exist as mindless entertainment. They talk about stuff that’s serious,” director Zack Snyder commented in reference to The Dark Knight. And that’s exactly why we love you and Nolan, Mr. Snyder!

Click to continue reading Snyder Pleases Fans at Comic-Con With Additional Watchmen Footage

Read More | E! Online

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