Warner, Fox in talks to settle their dispute over Watchmen

Warner Brothers' plan to release Watchmen on March 6 may proceed after all as the studio and 20th Century Fox are in the thick of talks to settle the bitter dispute over the rights to the superhero movie, Variety reported. Attorneys for both studios disclosed Friday that they had achieved progress toward an accord and agreed to delay a federal court hearing until today in order to continue settlement talks. Representatives for Fox and Warner had no comment to the trade paper about terms of a possible settlement, which would probably see Fox receive a stake in Watchmen . Friday's hearing had been scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess in Los Angeles so the jurist could rule on Warner's request for an expedited hearing on the key issue—whether to grant Fox's demand to block Warner's plans to release Watchmen on March 6. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Fox owned distribution rights to Watchmen due to a provision in its 1994 turnaround agreement with producer Larry Gordon. (link)