FOX throws all their toys out of the pram

Recently I read ‘Watchmen’ the famous graphic novel by Alan Moore.

I have to be honest and say I am not a big reader of graphic novels, and the last one I read by Alan Moore (‘From Hell’) I really didn’t like. This time I’m a little conflicted, I didn’t exactly love the story but I was taken with the idea of it being an alternative version of history with a different take on the whole superhero mythos. There was a lot going on and at times I did get a little lost (particularly with Veidt’s explanation for everything) and occasionally distracted by the comic-within-a-comic plot (which I sort of preferred to the main story). I’m glad I read it though as it’s nice to read something different for a change.

I had heard of the graphic novel before the film’s teaser trailer was doing the rounds but it was the teaser that made me think “Umm, that sounds interesting.” and pick up a copy (at a shocking price of £17.99… knew I should have bought it that time it was on sale in Forbidden Planet for £5).

The teaser trailer looked excellent and I watched a behind the scenes video that io9 linked to, loved Zack Snyder’s attention to detail and obvious dedication to getting it to look right – and unlike previous Alan Moore adaptations there is someone who was involved with making the graphic novel on hand (in this instances it was Dave Gibbons the illustrator)… although Alan Moore is still being a bit of a drama queen about adaptations of his work (fair enough though I suppose… ‘The League of Extordinary Gentlemen’ was an awful film and I have no desire to pick up the graphic novel, the film hinted to me that such a group of fictional characters together doesn’t work).

The film has a release date of 6th March 2009… however, there is now a spanner in the works which may mean the film doesn’t get released at all.

BBC News are reporting that FOX have launched a legal bid to prevent the release of ‘Watchmen’. Fox say they bought the rights to the graphic novel in the 1980s and the courts have given them the go ahead to launch an injunction against Warner Brothers.

The US courts agreed that FOX hold some of the rights (but not everything), a spokesman from FOX said

‘it planned to stop the release of the movie and “any related Watchmen media that violate our copyright interests in that property”‘.

Oh dear. Surely WB would have bought all the rights to film the graphic novel before they went ahead and got started? Why are FOX doing this now, do they wish to invite the wrath of the fanboys who are eagerly comping on the bit to either praise or destory the film?

Hopefully everything will continue as planned with the film being released in March but with WB having to share their profits with FOX and very little merchandise (most merchandise for films is terrible so no real loss there appart from financial). In fact io9 mentioned that the judge who ruled against WB also ruled against them about the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ and that film still got a release (and was an absolutle pile of shit, maybe WB should have let FOX have that one.)

Since I’m on the subject of WB, apparently Guy Ritchie’s new film is very good and a lot of people are saying that they’re going to commission a sequel to follow. If it all works out like that (and WB throw money at a sequel) then Ritchie may be forced to put his abombination of a Sherlock Holmes film on the backburner and it might even disappear into the ether all together! Oh, speaking of the film Mark Strong has been cast as a villian. No one has said who the villain is going to be but my money is on Moriarty.