Published at 10:19 AM on January 5, 2009

By Michael Saba

Watchmen movie in limbo until Jan. 20

On Dec. 29, Warner Brothers lost the preliminary court judgment for distribution rights to the hotly anticipated movie adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen, long considered the gold standard of graphic novels.

So, what next for one of Time's 100 greatest novels? If Warner digs their heels in the film will go the way of Greed or the original Fantastic Four and never see the light of day. For their part Warner thinks "a trial is necessary and a settlement unlikely," according to an attorney. They haven't budged from the March 6 release date either, and the countdown timer on the movie's website continues.

The trial goes down Jan. 20, when the movie's fate will finally be decided. To assuage the devotees who've been waiting two decades for this movie (or perhaps just out of fear of Alan Moore's beard,) Warner recently released a mini-featurette for the flick with interviews and fresh footage. Stay tuned:



Related links:
News: Fox suit seeks to stop Warner Bros.' Watchmen
WatchmenMovie.WarnerBros.com
NY Times: The Murky Side of Movie Rights

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