According to the New York Times, Warner Bros. plans to counter-attack Fox legal claims by arguing that Fox should not be permitted to stop the film, since the studio stood by while Warner and its partners on the film — Paramount Pictures and Legendary Pictures — spent more than $100 million on the production.
In a summary of its position, Warner claims Fox “sat silently” while “Watchmen” producer Lawrence Gordon shopped the project “to studio after studio with Fox’s express knowledge.” This latest development could also draw several other studios — including Paramount, Legendary and even Universal (who tried to make an adaptation of the film in 2001) — into the legal fray. Not to be outdone, Fox is also pushing for a June court date, which would all but delay the release date of “Watchmen.”