Someone's Watchmening out for Fox

By Steven Zeitchik

Big Christmas Eve surprise -- a bow-topped gift for Fox, lump of coal for Warners, wound on its smiley face, etc.

A judge has ruled  that Fox has a copyright stake in "Watchmen" for their years developing the project.  The preliminary ruling doesn't issue binding oders, but it will embolden Fox to press on with its case -- and could stir Warners to start thinking settlement.

The case is scheduled for trial in January. And forget Pellicano; this would be the real legal spectacle. Studios rarely face off against each other in court, and a public showdown like this could see the likes of top execs at both companies testifying (and a big curtain pulled back on the normally closed world of studio development).

What does this mean for the Zack Snyder-Alan Moore dark action movie? We still think the March pic comes out on time and a settlement is reached either before or shortly after the January 20 court date. (Even if a settlement isn't reached, Fox would have to win an injunction to stop the rollout.)

But with the ruling, Warners may have to pay a much heftier sum to make the case go away. That, or,press on with a trial even as it presses on with a marketing campaign.