Bad news for Watchmen Fans, or is it?

So things have been pretty hectic around here lately. Between the holiday weekend, the Vine VIP party and Ron going on vacation, there hasn't been much time for writing. Well really any time for writing. So I took a mini blog vacation. But I'm back, as much as I can be. We're gearing up for the new local sports season, which starts on Friday, and you would be surprised at how much that includes me. But on to some entertainment news.

A few weeks ago, I posted a story about 20th Century Fox's lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the rights to The Watchmen, which is supposed to be released in March of 2009. At the time, it looked like Fox was actually trying to block the film from being released. News comes today of a further development in the case:
A federal judge in Los Angeles has set Jan. 6 as the start of the showdown between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. over the movie adaptation of the vaunted graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Gibbons. Watchmen has devolved from a comic book flick into a courtroom drama in recent months, as Fox came forward with a complicated case claiming it still owns the rights to Watchmen and is seeking to block the release of Warners' anticipated film. Fox scored a legal victory last month when U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess ruled there was enough evidence to go to trial. But on Tuesday, he shot down Fox's request to halt the March 6 release of the Warners movie, helmed by 300's Zach Snyder and starring Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley as a group of ostracized former superheroes trying to save the world and themselves. Instead, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Feess fast-tracked the trial, presumably giving the two studios a chance to reach a settlement in the matter before deciding on potentially harsher measures. (source)
So good news and bad news right? The movie is still coming out on schedule, but there's still going to be a trial. Which could still affect the movie's release, especially if Fox wins. But, most of the media is pretty convinced that Warner Bros. will eventually offer a decent enough settlement to Fox that will probably include a percentage of the film's earnings. Money does make the world go round after all. Especially in the movie business.

That's it for now. Hopefully something interesting will happen in Hollywood later today. Lately its been all about lawsuits and criminal charges, which does nothing for my optimism.
Later!