WATCHMEN, Warners, Fox & Cold War Shenanigans
Don't be alarmed by any incomplete, knee-jerk "reporting" you may read online regarding 20th Century Fox, their "rights" and WATCHMEN the movie. You can, however, be amused at the batshit crazy antics of over-reacting fans! :D
There's been further developments and despite Fox claiming they don't want cash but want to block the film from ever being released, this is rubbish and grand-standing on Fox's behalf. They are simply putting on a 'strong' front from which to negotiate a pay deal. Had they demanded money up front, Warner's would have been able to haggle them down. This way, Fox can now name their own price.
Warner's lawyers have rightly stated that *if* Fox really did want the film blocked then they would have done so back in February when filming first began. Fox have waited until the film had finished shooting and have seen the amazing reaction to the trailer, and they know they can get a slice of the pie - especially after the amount that The Dark Knight has taken thus far.
Fox are greedy, not stupid after all (although that's debateable). Factor in that they have the Wolverine film coming out next May 1st. Tom Rothman, head of Fox who has publically stated that he hates the X-Men franchise, has been causing trouble on the Wolverine set. He's been in arguments with the director over the tone of the film and wants it lightened up so it will appeal to younger cinema-goers.
Despite the awesome success of The Dark Knight, Fox heads are stubbornly refusing to let the director make the film he wants to. This, along with decisions regarding X3, Elektra and the theatrical release of Daredevil, prove Fox know nothing of how to handle comic-book/genre properties.
Case in point, due to Fox's meddling even the director of Babylon A.D., Mathieu Kassovitz, doesn't like the film he made.
As with any major studio, it's all about profit for them. This is why Fox are going to try to bully Warner into a cash pay-off rather than a serious block on the release. Paramount had a similar grievance with Warner *before* shooting started - they cut a deal to resolve it, which sees Paramount being the international distributor for WATCHMEN. This is why we, in the UK, didn't get the WATCHMEN trailer attached to The Dark Knight. Expect to see the trailer attached to a Paramount film in the near future.
Another point that will go against Fox is the wording of the legal documents. Throughout the paperwork, it refers to the property as "The Watchmen". Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that it *isn't* called "The Watchmen" but simply "WATCHMEN". Definite articles like "The" can make all the difference in legal matters. Fox are claiming to have rights to a film version of something called "The Watchmen". Warners aren't making a film called "The Watchmen" and as such there doesn't even exist anything called "The Watchmen". Expect Warners lawyers to use that as leverage when it goes before the judge. If it doesn't cause the case to collapse on the technicality then it will definitely and severely limit the amount of payout that Fox will receive.
Fox tried the same thing on with Warner over the Dukes of Hazard film. Warner ended up paying Fox about $17.5million for that piece of crap. There is no way Warner won't pay out to release WATCHMEN, and Fox knows this. As it stands, Fox are grasping at straws hoping to make some much needed cash that they know their own films won't make for them. Look at the box office for the X-Files: I Want to Believe as proof.
Incidently, the judge who ruled over the Dukes of Hazard lawsuit is the exact same judge ruling over this WATCHMEN one - coincidence that Fox request the same judge? I think not.
Money grabbing swines!
Of course, Warners are just as bad! Knowing them, they'll use the cash from this lawsuit to pay off Fox for theirs :D
You also have to wonder what ties the Powers That Be at Time Warner/Warner Bros. have with Bush Jr. & co.
Why do I wonder this? Well, after Warners awesome Viral Marketing Campaign for The Dark Knight, it seems they really pulled out all the stops and have created the MOTHER of all Viral Marketing for the WATCHMEN film.
As anyone who's read it (or has read this LJ) will know, WATCHMEN is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” - which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. This Cold War tension is pervasive throughout the graphic novel and is also integral to the plot.
In past attempts to film the GN, the studios attempted to update WATCHMEN because they felt the Cold War tensions were outdated and audiences wouldn't be able to relate to it. Now that Zack Snyder has succesfully kept the film set in 1985, how are Warners going to ensure the film resonates with the audience?
Easy, they get together with the government and hatch a plan :)
Around two years ago Bush made some dramatic changes to the FEMA (federal emergency management agency) directives. Mainly that in a crisis of "National Security", the exisitng government would retain it's power until said crisis had abated. These changes were in addition to previous amendments. With this Russia/Georgia/South Ossetia situation it seems like the perfect time to initiate it. Maybe not so surprising that Condaleeza Rice went to Georgia to advise Mikhail Saakashvili on how to settle the Georgia/South Ossetia situation.
(Thanks to why_soserious for bringing this to my attention) ;)
"But Russia won't attack US installations!" I hear you wail. Hmmm... that's not what the Russians say, thanks to the US making a well-timed deal with Poland.
The way this is going, it looks like Barack Obama and John McCain may have to wait some time to see who'll be jumping into the still warm bed of Bush Jr. in the White House.
So there we have it. In the very same year that filming on WATCHMEN ends and promotion begins, we get the stirrings of Cold War II: The Sequel! This guarantees that by WATCHMEN's release on March 6th 2009, everyone will be in the right mood and mindset.
If you don't know what I'm talking about when I mention the Cold War (and it's effects on entertainment) then check this out.
Interestingly, I think Ronald Reagan was a WATCHMEN fan... (**SPOILER** for those who haven't read it yet!)
Wait...
What do you mean these new tensions between the US and Russia aren't part of a viral marketing campaign masterminded by Warners?!?
o_O
There's been further developments and despite Fox claiming they don't want cash but want to block the film from ever being released, this is rubbish and grand-standing on Fox's behalf. They are simply putting on a 'strong' front from which to negotiate a pay deal. Had they demanded money up front, Warner's would have been able to haggle them down. This way, Fox can now name their own price.
Warner's lawyers have rightly stated that *if* Fox really did want the film blocked then they would have done so back in February when filming first began. Fox have waited until the film had finished shooting and have seen the amazing reaction to the trailer, and they know they can get a slice of the pie - especially after the amount that The Dark Knight has taken thus far.
Fox are greedy, not stupid after all (although that's debateable). Factor in that they have the Wolverine film coming out next May 1st. Tom Rothman, head of Fox who has publically stated that he hates the X-Men franchise, has been causing trouble on the Wolverine set. He's been in arguments with the director over the tone of the film and wants it lightened up so it will appeal to younger cinema-goers.
Despite the awesome success of The Dark Knight, Fox heads are stubbornly refusing to let the director make the film he wants to. This, along with decisions regarding X3, Elektra and the theatrical release of Daredevil, prove Fox know nothing of how to handle comic-book/genre properties.
Case in point, due to Fox's meddling even the director of Babylon A.D., Mathieu Kassovitz, doesn't like the film he made.
As with any major studio, it's all about profit for them. This is why Fox are going to try to bully Warner into a cash pay-off rather than a serious block on the release. Paramount had a similar grievance with Warner *before* shooting started - they cut a deal to resolve it, which sees Paramount being the international distributor for WATCHMEN. This is why we, in the UK, didn't get the WATCHMEN trailer attached to The Dark Knight. Expect to see the trailer attached to a Paramount film in the near future.
Another point that will go against Fox is the wording of the legal documents. Throughout the paperwork, it refers to the property as "The Watchmen". Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that it *isn't* called "The Watchmen" but simply "WATCHMEN". Definite articles like "The" can make all the difference in legal matters. Fox are claiming to have rights to a film version of something called "The Watchmen". Warners aren't making a film called "The Watchmen" and as such there doesn't even exist anything called "The Watchmen". Expect Warners lawyers to use that as leverage when it goes before the judge. If it doesn't cause the case to collapse on the technicality then it will definitely and severely limit the amount of payout that Fox will receive.
Fox tried the same thing on with Warner over the Dukes of Hazard film. Warner ended up paying Fox about $17.5million for that piece of crap. There is no way Warner won't pay out to release WATCHMEN, and Fox knows this. As it stands, Fox are grasping at straws hoping to make some much needed cash that they know their own films won't make for them. Look at the box office for the X-Files: I Want to Believe as proof.
Incidently, the judge who ruled over the Dukes of Hazard lawsuit is the exact same judge ruling over this WATCHMEN one - coincidence that Fox request the same judge? I think not.
Money grabbing swines!
Of course, Warners are just as bad! Knowing them, they'll use the cash from this lawsuit to pay off Fox for theirs :D
You also have to wonder what ties the Powers That Be at Time Warner/Warner Bros. have with Bush Jr. & co.
Why do I wonder this? Well, after Warners awesome Viral Marketing Campaign for The Dark Knight, it seems they really pulled out all the stops and have created the MOTHER of all Viral Marketing for the WATCHMEN film.
As anyone who's read it (or has read this LJ) will know, WATCHMEN is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” - which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. This Cold War tension is pervasive throughout the graphic novel and is also integral to the plot.
In past attempts to film the GN, the studios attempted to update WATCHMEN because they felt the Cold War tensions were outdated and audiences wouldn't be able to relate to it. Now that Zack Snyder has succesfully kept the film set in 1985, how are Warners going to ensure the film resonates with the audience?
Easy, they get together with the government and hatch a plan :)
Around two years ago Bush made some dramatic changes to the FEMA (federal emergency management agency) directives. Mainly that in a crisis of "National Security", the exisitng government would retain it's power until said crisis had abated. These changes were in addition to previous amendments. With this Russia/Georgia/South Ossetia situation it seems like the perfect time to initiate it. Maybe not so surprising that Condaleeza Rice went to Georgia to advise Mikhail Saakashvili on how to settle the Georgia/South Ossetia situation.
(Thanks to why_soserious for bringing this to my attention) ;)
"But Russia won't attack US installations!" I hear you wail. Hmmm... that's not what the Russians say, thanks to the US making a well-timed deal with Poland.
The way this is going, it looks like Barack Obama and John McCain may have to wait some time to see who'll be jumping into the still warm bed of Bush Jr. in the White House.
So there we have it. In the very same year that filming on WATCHMEN ends and promotion begins, we get the stirrings of Cold War II: The Sequel! This guarantees that by WATCHMEN's release on March 6th 2009, everyone will be in the right mood and mindset.
If you don't know what I'm talking about when I mention the Cold War (and it's effects on entertainment) then check this out.
Interestingly, I think Ronald Reagan was a WATCHMEN fan... (**SPOILER** for those who haven't read it yet!)
Click to viewWait...
What do you mean these new tensions between the US and Russia aren't part of a viral marketing campaign masterminded by Warners?!?
o_O