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"THE WATCHMEN" MOVIE - FINALLY?

Started by Ballad of Ballard Berkley, July 26, 2007, 11:07:12 AM

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CaledonianGonzo

Mrs Trousers speaks sooth, but there was an additional factor in Mr Moore taking his metaphorical ball home in a snit.

The LOEG movie was sued by a Hollywood scriptwriter who claimed it had stolen his ideas.  To a fellow who sets such store by ideas - going so far as to propound his own philosophical model about them - the idea that he was a plagiarist (particularly, a plagiarist of an industry he has a lot of disdain for) was more fuel for the fire.

Apparently, he gave his evidence to the LA court via a video-link from his Northampton living room.  You know, the one that looks like an occultist's wet dream, with the skulls, wands and all sorts of other Qabbalistic paraphenalia.

Now there's some footage I'd love to see surface on the YouTubes!

Still Not George

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on July 27, 2007, 08:51:50 PM
Mrs Trousers speaks sooth, but there was an additional factor in Mr Moore taking his metaphorical ball home in a snit.

The LOEG movie was sued by a Hollywood scriptwriter who claimed it had stolen his ideas.  To a fellow who sets such store by ideas - going so far as to propound his own philosophical model about them - the idea that he was a plagiarist (particularly, a plagiarist of an industry he has a lot of disdain for) was more fuel for the fire.

Fucksakes. I bet it was on the basis that "it included heroic characters in a Victorian setting" or some other such bullshit, eh? (I'd look it up but frankly I can't be arsed.)

CaledonianGonzo

Oh...and speaking of Dave Gibbons:



Is that old promotional material or a brand new DG image (I've not bought Absolute Watchmen)?

03.06.09 - two years to go..

Santa's Boyfriend

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on July 27, 2007, 08:51:50 PMApparently, he gave his evidence to the LA court via a video-link

Which apparently went on for hours and was much about dragging him through the mud.  Plus Warners settled out of court, which to Moore was like an admission of guilt.

Vitalstatistix


no_offenc

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on July 27, 2007, 09:52:38 PM
Oh...and speaking of Dave Gibbons:



Is that old promotional material or a brand new DG image (I've not bought Absolute Watchmen)?

03.06.09 - two years to go..

That was apparently a brand new piece that Dave did for Comic Con (or whatever).  Looks quite nice.

Glebe

The Hollywood Reporter.

Fox sues over 'Watchmen'

By Leslie Simmons

Feb 12, 2008

20th Century Fox has initiated a legal battle against Warner Bros. over the rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on the graphic novel "Watchmen."

On Friday, the studio sued Warners, claiming it holds the exclusive copyrights and contract rights to "Watchmen."

Warners plans to release next year a big-screen version of the popular comic book written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. The cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino and Malin Akerman. It is the studio's policy to not comment on pending litigation.

But Fox seeks to enjoin Warners from going forward with the project, saying in the lawsuit that it seeks to "restrain (Warner Bros. Pictures) from taking actions that violate Fox's copyrights and which stand to forever impair Fox's rights to control the distribution and development of this unique work."

Fox claims that between 1986 and 1990, it acquired all movie rights to the 12-issue DC Comics series and screenplays by Charles McKeown and Sam Hamm. In 1991, Fox assigned some rights via a quitclaim to Largo International with the understanding that the studio held exclusive rights to distribute the first motion picture based on "Watchmen," according to the lawsuit.

When Largo dismantled, the rights were transferred to producer Lawrence Gordon. Under a "turnaround agreement" between Fox and Gordon, the producer agreed to pay a buy-out price to Fox if he entered into any agreement with another studio or third party to develop or produce "Watchmen," among other things.

The project apparently bounced around to Universal and Paramount before returning to Warners. Now, Fox claims that neither Gordon nor Warners has paid the buy-out price or advised the studio of any other conditions required under the agreement, including procedures necessary to acquire the rights to "Watchmen" from Fox.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.




WatchmenComicMovie.com - Zack Snyder Fan Q&A — Part I.

Santa's Boyfriend

Did Fox not notice that Watchmen has been in production for about a year now?

Rev

They certainly did, which is why they haven't pulled this until now.  If they'd done so at the early stages it could have become messy, but they know that Warner has sunk too much money into the thing to do anything other than offer a nice big out-of-court settlement.  Canny bastards.

amputeeporn

To be honest, if they had started this before production we'd probably just not have a film. If it had to happen, I'm glad it happened this way - I'm sick of seeing "in development hell" attached to films I want to see!

Goldentony

Fucking hell, i hope this doesn't cause it to stop filming or be forever unreleased or some bullshit like that crap Fantastic Four film from 1994

QuoteBut Fox seeks to enjoin Warners from going forward with the project

They want to stop them going forward with a project that's currently shooting and has been doing so for months now?? to the Fox Time Machine!!

Godzilla Bankrolls

Nintendo knew full well that they had the correct rights to Tetris, but actually claimed Atari had nicked the rights to put it out on the eve of its (heavily-promoted and publicised) Atari release, causing Atari to sue, and lose within 4 weeks of the game appearing on the shelves. All unsold copies had to be recalled.

Canny, callous fuckers, these corporations.

Smackhead Kangaroo

Ok so best possible scenario is that this runs parallel to V for Vendetta. I don't think for even a second that this film if it happens will be any good.
Is there any way in hell it will escape the heritage of 9/11? Hmmmm

Santa's Boyfriend


surreal

Quote from: Smackhead Kangaroo on February 18, 2008, 12:36:11 AM
Ok so best possible scenario is that this runs parallel to V for Vendetta. I don't think for even a second that this film if it happens will be any good.
Is there any way in hell it will escape the heritage of 9/11? Hmmmm

I thought they were maintaining the Cold War setting for the movie?  Setting it in the correct decade anyway...

Smackhead Kangaroo

That's not the point I was grasping for, rather I was thinking that there'll be issues with the plot point of a large scale (terrorist) attack on a city being something that's ultimately for the good of the world. On a related note I don't think the parallel manner in which the attack is a rallying cry to pull humanity together, and the way in which 9/11 was used as an excuse to go blow stuff up will be given any treatment at all, let alone the cynical eye it deserves.
These are fairly half born thoughts. So excuse their crudeness

Nik Drou

Well, here are the first shots of some of the characters in costume....

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35862

*sucks in air through my teeth* I...don't know.  I can see what they tried to do, and it could've looked so much worse, but it just feels...wrong.  It seems to be riffing on a more modern movie-like superhero costume, even though it's set in the 80's.  Ozymandias certainly doesnt look like the peak of physical perfection here, does he?  He looks more like a slightly skinny guy wearing a suit with moulded abs on it. 


Blumf

Rorschach's coat appears to have all it's buttons on. Tsk!

Deadman97

Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Nite Owl all look absolutely perfect to my eyes, really just spot-on. Ozymandias is suffering a little from Batman and Robinning of the moulded torso, unnecessary if he's the peak of physical perfection, but The Comedian is approaching brilliance- just need lose the bouffant and we're laughing. No worries with these at all really, my hopes remain high.

Xander

Quote from: Deadman97 on March 06, 2008, 11:20:44 AM
Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Nite Owl all look absolutely perfect to my eyes, really just spot-on. Ozymandias is suffering a little from Batman and Robinning of the moulded torso, unnecessary if he's the peak of physical perfection, but The Comedian is approaching brilliance- just need lose the bouffant and we're laughing. No worries with these at all really, my hopes remain high.

Rorschach and Silk Spectre I completely agree with. I'm not that big on Nite-Owl, they seem to have Nolan-ised him too much. I'd (obviously) prefer the Ted Kord style Nite-Owl rather than the new Batman. And the problem with Ozy is not his costume, it's his boyish weediness, certainly not a 'peak of perfection', chiselled, superhero retiree.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

The Comedian looks superb. I always imagined him being played by an ageing Burt Reynolds, and that pic looks about right.

Deadman97

Quote from: Xander on March 06, 2008, 12:38:45 PM
And the problem with Ozy is not his costume, it's his boyish weediness, certainly not a 'peak of perfection', chiselled, superhero retiree.

He does look a bit of a milksop, actually. And the weird rubber "V" shape under his abs does the whole thing no favours. Yes, much to be desired there, but then you look at Rorschach again and it really feel right.

olafr

I'd have much preferred Nite Owl to be a little 'heavier' but I think he looks pretty good. Anyone claiming he's too Batman-y is presenting a weird argument.

Ozzy does look like he's a mard-arse, but then again, despite his physical skills and intellect, I always thought he had a bit of that about him anyway. Too clean, if you know what I mean.

Silk Spectre is right off the page in my opinion, no issues with that. Rorschach: I'd need a better view of. It's all about the mask and you can't really see it in the pic. If the mask looks silly, he'll look silly. How Dr Manhattan will fare though will make or break this for me. If they can't get that looking right, then it will just throw everything else off, in my opinion. Similarly the scenes on the moon, if they don't get those bits right, I think it will make everything else wrong.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Nik Drou on March 06, 2008, 10:41:02 AM
Well, here are the first shots of some of the characters in costume....

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35862


Cheers for posting that - the view of Ozymandias seems fairly unanimous...

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on July 27, 2007, 08:51:50 PM
....The LOEG movie was sued by a Hollywood scriptwriter who claimed it had stolen his ideas.  To a fellow who sets such store by ideas - going so far as to propound his own philosophical model about them - the idea that he was a plagiarist (particularly, a plagiarist of an industry he has a lot of disdain for) was more fuel for the fire.

I know this was posted a while back, but the lawsuit was even more ludicrous than that.

The writer (Larry Cohen) and the producer who sued, basically alleged that their idea  was turned down by 20th Centry Fox, who then persuaded Moore to do the LOEG graphic novel in order for the studio to be able to make the film that had been originally pitched without having to pay Cohen and the producer a penny.

I believe that Fox actually acted quite decently as when the LOEG film was greenlit, it went to Cohen and his associate to say that, although their film had been turned down, this project was going ahead and did they want to be attached (I think Cohen was offered first crack at the script.)

Moore did indeed give his evidence (several hours' worth) via video-link – and was furious that Fox settled out of court.

Recently, Cohen directed an instalment (written by someone else) in the Masters of Horrors series – which was rather good... a little more recently, he wrote Captivity which was quite the reverse.

Deadman97

A certain mad-as-bollocks poster will be intrigued by this photo I've managed to get hold of- the first ever pic of Rorschach minus the mask, and I think you'll agree that it's a bit of a shocker:


samadriel

Scandal! (he's supposed to be a ginger!)

I like the stiff, straight-faced absurdity of Nite Owl (even if they did mess up his rather cool mask-ears, *nerdnerd*); he looks like a cross between Michael Keaton's Batman (who was too weedy/immobile to fight properly, so he had to use gadgets -- just like Dreiberg!), and Cyclops from X-Men (solemn and sanctimonious boy-scout who looks completely ridiculous and has no idea -- just like Dreiberg!  ...Well, okay, Dreiberg knew).  If the movie is... not shit, he could be an amusing pastiche/parody of movie-superhero conventions, just as the original Dreiberg was a pastiche of Silver Age conventions.

Of course, that's a massive 'if'.

Deadman97

#56
Huge news- my contact inside the production (who is real and actually exists) also just mailed me the first actual production still of Ozymandias' genetically-manipulated pet, Bubastis:




More news as it comes in.

samadriel

THAT IS NOT REAL UR A FAKER WHO IS UR SORCE

Deadman97

Quote from: samadriel on March 06, 2008, 08:34:53 PM
THAT IS NOT REAL UR A FAKER WHO IS UR SORCE

Hey fuk U d00d I went to mutant-tiger wrangling school with the mutant-tiger wrangler whoze working on Watchman an he gave me that pic that he took with his digicam.

SO FUK U, PWND

samadriel

im serious man ur frend is lieing 2 u if he says taht is bubastis bubastis has a tale and is all muskular, zak snyder wouldNEVER let taht cat be bubastis that looks like a normal cat wiht prostetics it is not ICONIC