Over at Lying in the Gutters, Rich Johnston reports that the Watchmen lawsuit may be less about Rorshach, et al, and more about the 1960s "Batman" series:
Sources tell me that Fox want the 1960s Batman TV series. Currently Fox own the TV footage, but Warner Bros own the characters and trademarks, via their ownership of DC Comics. The rights to a DVD release have been held up for a long time now, and this case looks like it may be the instrument to release them.
Oh, Fox will get a wodge of cash as well - many millions of dollars it seems. But it seems they also want the rights to release the Adam West-starring Batman on DVD, something long denied fans of the series. And Warners will get the “Watchmen” film, to release as planned.
There were comic fans who threatened Fox boycotts over what they saw as their scuppering of the Watchmen movie. Looks like they may soon have cause to thank Fox for this action.
If true, count me as one of those now actually happy about the lawsuit. I've wanted the 1960s Batman on (non crappy bootleg) DVD for years.
Agreed. I think an agreement based around this would be a win-win situation for all comic fans.
