Results tagged “Warner Bros.” from Modern Mythology

It has been reported that production on the rebooted "V" television series has temporarily shut down.

This information was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly and a statement from Warner Bros.

The premiere will apparently go on as planned Nov. 3 on ABC, but what about the future of the series?  And what was it that caused the snag?

A part of the The Warner Bros. statement from EW:

We will take advantage of our November premiere to maximize creative opportunities and deliver the audience the best show possible.

That sounds like it could mean we're recasting, rearranging the staff and rethinking even redoing this series in the first place.

Sorry, maybe I'm just shell-shocked from all the "Dollhouse" drama last season.

Josef Adalian at THE WRAP writes it's not uncommon for shows to do this in their first season out of the gate.  Changes can be made to story direction and other things.

Or it could just mean what The Envelope suggests... this two-week hiatus may be there to give Elizabeth Mitchell from 'Lost" time to finish her work on that show... maybe.

What do you think of the trailer above?   And moreover, do you want to see a new "V" TV series?

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Moviegoers may get to watch the "Watchmen" after all.

Attorneys for rival studios fighting over the release of the superhero flick told a federal judge on Friday that they're having fruitful settlement talks.

Attorneys for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. asked the judge to delay a hearing Friday so those discussions can continue over the weekend.

U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess agreed to continue the hearing but says a trial over whether to block the film's March release is still set for Jan. 20.

Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told Feess that the delay would be "very, very helpful" to settlement discussions he deemed "productive."

Friday's revelation surprised Feess, who noted that Warner Bros. had been seeking to move up the Jan. 20 trial to next week, citing the film's marketing campaign and its March 6 release date.

An injunction barring the film's release also jeopardizes the $150 million Warner Bros. has invested in the "Watchmen" movie, the studio's attorneys argued in court documents filed this week.

Fox sued in February to stop the release of "Watchmen," claiming Warner Bros. violated its interests by filming the tale. Feess agreed last month that Fox appears to have the right to distribute the film.

Since then, the two sides have made concessions and according to court documents, conducted settlement talks last weekend.

Fox claims it never relinquished movie rights it acquired in the late 1980s to "Watchmen," the popular graphic novel of the same name. Warner Bros. has argued Fox lacked the right to stop the movie's release.

I wish I was there to check out the screening but the good news is that the Warner Bros. "Watchmen" film is living up to being as good as its trailer.

At least 25 minutes of it is.

I watch a lot of movies and if any film has a really good 25 minutes in it, that could make it more than adequate.

Reading the praise for the considerable visual talents of director Zack Snyder ("300") here at Collider only confirms what everyone who saw that impressive movie trailer observed... The kid has game.

Yeah, Snyder can bring the fireworks, but does he have a chance of making a story this complicated work as a three-hour film? (I can't imagine it any shorter than that.)

Frosty at Collider writes that the opening sequence is a storytelling marvel. And I don't want to ruin what you could get if you read the post here. There are also audio clips of Snyder discussing the film.

There is little new word on the spat between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. over the distribution of "Watchmen." Attorneys on both sides were instructed to collect their materials and prepare to appear in court (edit: go to trial) in January.

Despite all of the legal issues there is confidence it will work out and perhaps that's with both sides getting something out of it.

(Edit: A link to a New York Times piece that navigates the twisty details of the "Watchmen" legal struggle.)


Image courtesy Warner Bros.

 

After a couple weeks the quiet consensus in the media was that the disagreement over the movie distribution rights for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen" may be settled before the film directed by Zack Snyder (300) will be released March 2009.

That continues to be the hope of fans, especially the ones I spoke with at Geoffrey's Comics last week.

The New York Times reported Saturday (Aug. 30) 20th Century Fox plans to seek an injunction to block Warner Bros. from releasing the film. What appeared to be something between studios could be something between Fox, Warner and even the fanboys and fangirls who are waiting with great anticipation for this film.

I mentioned previously - and it has been widely reported - there has been talk of boycotting Fox releases if "Watchmen" does not reach theaters. USA Today did a story last week on whether or not this could happen and if there would actually be fuel for such a backlash.

I think the last time I mentioned the possibility of an Academy Award nomination for late actor Heath Ledger for his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," I had been rudely dismissed.

In the company of some fans of the film, however, what I mentioned was as certain to them as the sun rising the next day.

"At least a nod," says one of the members of a graphic novel book club at Geoffrey's Comics in Gardena.

Warner Bros. will not disagree with that. A story in The Hollywood Reporter  says the studio is planning a DVD release around the holidays and is also planning to "push Ledger for some of the year end awards."

The story's writer considers the Golden Globes a "certainty" and I would have to agree.

This is serious, folks. The super hero subject matter of "The Dark Knight" should not easily dismiss whether an acting performance in the film was nuanced, skilled and in this case, unforgettable.

Warner Bros. executives have been working to figure out what they could do to capitalize on what they have learned from the success of "The Dark Knight." One of those initiatives is to have upcoming films based on their comics properties take on a darker tone.

This plan is reported to include the next feature film based on the Man of Steel himself. The way I see it, it is an interesting idea for some characters, but maybe not Superman.

Only last week I read that a Green Arrow screenplay will not so much focus on the origins of the hero but will just hit the ground running with a tale of G.A. trying to break out of the notorious (to comics fans) Super Max prison. Green Arrow, a dark side? Sure. Superman?

That idea dredges up memories of Christopher Reeve as "Evil Superman" flicking peanut projectiles at liquor bottles in "Superman III."

I sincerely hope the makers of this next Superman movie leaves that "Superman Returns" concept behind and chooses to take a note from the most successful comic stories the character has been part of. And whatever kind of movie it's going to be it certainly shouldn't take too many notes from "The Dark Knight."

In the last twenty years Batman's stories have more than sustained the dark tone depicted in the aforementioned film.

Superman's best recent tales have taken the iconic nature of the character and either changed the world around him or tackled his origin story from a different perspective.

In Mark Millar and Dave Johnson's "Superman: Red Son," the concept of the hero being raised in the Soviet Union offers an interesting take with all kinds of possibilities.

In Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu's "Superman: Birthright" the origin gets a retake with some of the successful elements of the television series "Smallville" (Lex Luther and Clark Kent's relationship) worked into the plot.

The most recent and interesting character retake I find to be the most refreshing while not destroying the essence of Superman, is Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's "All Star Superman." Every issue in the 12-part limited series I have read so far I would breathlessly describe to my wife (much to her dismay).

And while there is but one issue to go in the All Star series, the simple concept of Superman having a short time to live and working to resolve the world's problems before he is done will and should be considered among one of the best and most character respectful stories in the Superman lexicon.

It is good to hear the WB is taking a note from the fans of their movies, but please don't forget the work most appreciated by the comic fans as well.

The reports have been everywhere about the film rights dispute between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. over the "Watchmen" movie scheduled to be released March 2009.

As ubiquitous as the news reports have been, the fan angst has more than equaled that in the online message boards and forums. Comments run the gamut, but more and more are suggesting aiming that furor at the Fox company itself.

Go here to read the comment posts from a Newsarama "Watchmen" story.

It doesn't help that Fox stated in a Variety story that it would rather have the film killed than share distribution.

Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly gives the rundown on the legal scuffle over the rights to "Watchmen."

Fox, in defense of the legal action and the fan reactions, told Entertainment Weekly they have tried to file their grievance a number of times before the film went into production.

Jensen's story concludes fans should not worry about the film hitting the screens on time. Reports from EW also have it that the likely endgame for this could involve a profit-sharing plan or even a distribution deal for Fox.

But all of this chat will be moot, of course, if Warner Bros. proves they have the sole right to distribute the film and not Fox.

Warner Bros. Pictures has pushed "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" back to Summer 2009, so that great trailer I was excited about bums me out when I see it now.

According to Warner Bros. the film will now be released July 17, 2009. This announcement mentions the effects of the writers strike as one of the reasons behind this change.

I was not surprised by this piece of information. What did surprise me was when I learned this film was originally slated for November 2008. I told my wife (A rabid Harry Potter book fan) that the movie was coming in November and that it was sort of fast. 

She didn't buy that, but I told her a movie like that could kill during the summer. It would do well at any time, but this is a post "Dark Knight" (WB's other release) world. This is me in studio executive mode: Why not set it up to be a our next big Summer movie for 2009?

Ah well, the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" starts shooting in February 2009.  The WB reminds us that at least now, the wait between Harry Potter 6 and the finale films will be shorter.