Cronch cronch cronch | Photo courtesy Watchmencomicmovie.com
Those of you who know me, know that one of my all-time favorite books is the classic Alan Moore-penned, Dave Gibbons-drawn graphic novel Watchmen. More than a mere superhero comic, Watchmen is crafted with intricacy and themes that oftentimes escape even traditional novelists. Yeah, its characters parade around in costumes, sometimes, but they also face the realities of impotence, living in the shadow of our parents, and the other myriad trials and tribulations that make up a life. They are real people (as far as fiction characters can be) and they live in a real world: what ours would be like had all those golden age super heroes been real, rather than colored inkblots on the printed page, for better...and for worse.
Seeing as the long-awaited film adaptation of the novel has finally become a reality, I have been following its press pretty religiously. Although I have certain beefs with adaptive changes that I won't spoil for anybody out there in blogland, I am still super stoked to see the film when it hits the silver screen on March 6th. That is, if it gets there.
Fox, who up until now had little-to-no interest in making a film of Watchmen, has sued Warner Bros. claiming it owns at least distribution rights to the film. I know, right?
Well, Watchmen producer Lloyd Levin has posted an open letter about the debacle via Hitfix. Despite Fox's obvious, according to Levin, early disinterest in the Watchmen film, one wonders why now, after the movie has been filmed, edited and is nearly ready to go, that studio would suddenly want a piece of the heavily-Warner Bros.-invested pie.
Isn't it obvious? 2008 was a knockout year for comic book films, most notably Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Both films were huge hits and critical successes. They starred actors, as does Watchmen, that had yet to really prove their worth as box office draws (What's the last chart topping Robert Downy, Jr. film?) and yet both films made bank. Had comic book adaptations not become the new Hollywood trend, you can bet that Fox would want no piece of the action. Although one could also argue that neither would have Warner Bros., or at least that studio wouldn't have given as much leeway with the project as it has, the fact remains that Warner Bros. picked up the project back in 2005...when the biggest draw from the graphic medium was the Spider-man franchise (which didn't exactly star an A-lister at the time, either).
Oh, and don't forget that Zach Snyder, a virtual-unknown director at the time he was chosen for Watchmen, also spun Frank Miller's 300 into a mega-blockbuster film (also starring virtual unknowns, see a pattern here?).
The bottom line? Fox knows Watchmen will be huge, despite their reservations three years ago. Anyone afraid the film won't make it to screens come March is missing the point. Fox doesn't want to stop Watchmen, it just wants to reap the benefits. Besides, the best-looking comic film they have coming down the pipeline is Wolverine. Not exactly Watchmen caliber, is it?
Seeing as the long-awaited film adaptation of the novel has finally become a reality, I have been following its press pretty religiously. Although I have certain beefs with adaptive changes that I won't spoil for anybody out there in blogland, I am still super stoked to see the film when it hits the silver screen on March 6th. That is, if it gets there.
Fox, who up until now had little-to-no interest in making a film of Watchmen, has sued Warner Bros. claiming it owns at least distribution rights to the film. I know, right?
Well, Watchmen producer Lloyd Levin has posted an open letter about the debacle via Hitfix. Despite Fox's obvious, according to Levin, early disinterest in the Watchmen film, one wonders why now, after the movie has been filmed, edited and is nearly ready to go, that studio would suddenly want a piece of the heavily-Warner Bros.-invested pie.
Isn't it obvious? 2008 was a knockout year for comic book films, most notably Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Both films were huge hits and critical successes. They starred actors, as does Watchmen, that had yet to really prove their worth as box office draws (What's the last chart topping Robert Downy, Jr. film?) and yet both films made bank. Had comic book adaptations not become the new Hollywood trend, you can bet that Fox would want no piece of the action. Although one could also argue that neither would have Warner Bros., or at least that studio wouldn't have given as much leeway with the project as it has, the fact remains that Warner Bros. picked up the project back in 2005...when the biggest draw from the graphic medium was the Spider-man franchise (which didn't exactly star an A-lister at the time, either).
Oh, and don't forget that Zach Snyder, a virtual-unknown director at the time he was chosen for Watchmen, also spun Frank Miller's 300 into a mega-blockbuster film (also starring virtual unknowns, see a pattern here?).
The bottom line? Fox knows Watchmen will be huge, despite their reservations three years ago. Anyone afraid the film won't make it to screens come March is missing the point. Fox doesn't want to stop Watchmen, it just wants to reap the benefits. Besides, the best-looking comic film they have coming down the pipeline is Wolverine. Not exactly Watchmen caliber, is it?
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