It’s over and done with (basically). 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. have settled their bitter dispute over the Zack Snyder-directed “Watchmen” film.
Both studios will submit the terms of there resolution to Judge Gary A. Feess on Friday morning and they’ll request that the case be dismissed. A joint statement from the studios is expected tomorrow.
Under the resolved terms, Fox has relinquished all rights, will not co-distribute the film, nor own any property of the film moving forward, but they are expected to receive a large cash payment, plus a percentage of the box-office. However, the terms of the deal will not be officially disclosed (look for the Nikki Finke’s of the world to get whispers of the figures and report them, but also expect varying figures from multiple sources). The third line of the Hollywood Reporter piece is weird and seemingly contradictory. “A Warners spokesperson would not comment on the settlement. A Fox spokesman said no final deal had been reached.” Sounds like neither side wants admit to much just yet.
As the L.A. Times suggested last week, “Watchmen” producer Larry Gordon might be fucked. WB are apparently going to seek reimbursement for the costs of the settlement.Gordon’s past attorney has already admitted that “he negotiated Gordon’s 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a pre-existing 1991 agreement on which Fox has based its lawsuit.” Yikes.
Most likely, the March 6 release date will stand. We’ll know more tomorrow.[THR]