Warners urges quick 'Watchmen' decision

Warner Bros has asked the judge in the Watchmen copyright case to bring forward his decision regarding a potential release date delay.

Judge Gary Allen Feess recently ruled that 20th Century Fox still owns copyright interest in the movie, which is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's comic book, and has the right to distribute the first feature film based on the work. He set a January 20 hearing date to determine whether or not to delay the movie while all rights issues are settled.

However, Warner Bros has urged Feess to bring forward the court date, claiming that "time is critical" because they do not want to invest further millions in a film that they may be unable to release.

Arguing against an injunction to postpone the film's release, Warners said that Fox "abandoned" the movie in 1994 and that they have spent more than $150 million to make and market the film, using a "carefully choreographed" plan to debut it on March 6 in the US. They added that a release delay would damage their finances and those of third party exhibitors.

Feess recommended that both studios settle the dispute, but neither party could agree on a compensation deal.

> Click here for our recent interview with Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons