The trial to determine whether rights to WATCHMEN are controlled by Twentieth Century Fox or Warner Bros. has been delayed by a Los Angeles federal judge to January 20, reports VARIETY.
The two-week delay was set by Judge Gary Allen Feess on Monday, who noted that he is required to handle a criminal matter on January 6, the original trial date. Feess refused a pre-trial summary judgment that was requested by both sides because the contracts between Fox and WATCHMEN producer Larry Gordon are so open to interpretation that a trial is required.
WB has not budged on their announced March 6 release date for WATCHMEN, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley from the acclaimed graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.
Fox contends in their suit, filed in February, that it retains distribution rights to the property and asserts that Gordon's option to acquire Fox's remaining interest in WATCHMEN was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights intact under a 1994 turnaround agreement. Fox spent more than $1 million developing WATCHMEN, but WB has denied Fox's assertion and says Fox does not currently hold the copyright.
