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LOS ANGELES — The comic book movie “Watchmen†will be released by Warner Brothers on March 6, as planned, after a settlement between that studio and 20th Century Fox in a court battle over which one owned the rights to the story. But the legal drama surrounding the picture is probably only beginning.
Fox emerged victorious late Thursday in its effort to get Warner to recognize Fox’s ownership rights on “Watchmen,†a $130 million adaptation of the popular graphic novel series of the same name. Fox stepped forward before shooting even began, saying it owned the rights. The studio filed suit in February after Warner balked.
Terms were not disclosed, and both studios declined to comment on Friday. But people with knowledge of the agreement said Fox could receive up to 8.5 percent of the film’s final theatrical gross after Warner recoups certain costs. (The percentage is lower if ticket sales are poor.) Fox will also get back the $1.5 million it spent developing the movie, and Warner will foot its rival’s multimillion-dollar legal bill.
Fox also pried a public admission from Warner that it had not been greedy. “Warner Brothers acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims,†a joint statement said. That line was particularly important to Fox, which has come under fire on the Web from “Watchmen†fans who feared that the studio’s efforts would delay the film’s release.
A new round of legal sparring — this time involving one of the film’s producers — is all but certain to follow. Warner is making no secret of its intention to cover its payouts to Fox by going after Larry Gordon, the producer who took “Watchmen†to the studio after attempts to make it with Fox and several other studios failed.
Mr. Gordon, who a spokesman said was not available for comment, in turn is likely to pursue legal action against a former lawyer whom he contends failed to make Warner aware of Fox’s potential rights on “Watchmen.â€
Fox emerged victorious late Thursday in its effort to get Warner to recognize Fox’s ownership rights on “Watchmen,†a $130 million adaptation of the popular graphic novel series of the same name. Fox stepped forward before shooting even began, saying it owned the rights. The studio filed suit in February after Warner balked.
Terms were not disclosed, and both studios declined to comment on Friday. But people with knowledge of the agreement said Fox could receive up to 8.5 percent of the film’s final theatrical gross after Warner recoups certain costs. (The percentage is lower if ticket sales are poor.) Fox will also get back the $1.5 million it spent developing the movie, and Warner will foot its rival’s multimillion-dollar legal bill.
Fox also pried a public admission from Warner that it had not been greedy. “Warner Brothers acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims,†a joint statement said. That line was particularly important to Fox, which has come under fire on the Web from “Watchmen†fans who feared that the studio’s efforts would delay the film’s release.
A new round of legal sparring — this time involving one of the film’s producers — is all but certain to follow. Warner is making no secret of its intention to cover its payouts to Fox by going after Larry Gordon, the producer who took “Watchmen†to the studio after attempts to make it with Fox and several other studios failed.
Mr. Gordon, who a spokesman said was not available for comment, in turn is likely to pursue legal action against a former lawyer whom he contends failed to make Warner aware of Fox’s potential rights on “Watchmen.â€
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