I will be brief, since I think I've been clear...
It pains me to see smart people act like fools.
If any of you lent a friend $10,000 to start a business they needed $200,000 to really start and you had the understanding that if they ever got their funding, you would be paid back, and if not, you would own some percentage of the business... and your friend took your money, almost got funded but didn't, then ultimately did, but acted as though you didn't exist...
Money against film projects is as Studio 101 as it gets. I would be shocked if Drew McW does have at least one writing deal over recent years that is not in turnaround and carrying the burden of what he was paid on it. I was a screenwriter for 2 years and I have one. Some of the best scripts ever are sitting unmade because of the amount that they have sitting against any future production. Superman Returns had over $60 million against it, but WB went forward because they hoped it would outdo that burden.
Studio 101.
And all this geek whining tells you just why the geek community is not taken seriously.
It's politicians talking morality and then getting caught with their dicks out.
There is nothing wrong with wanting Watchmen to come out and for creativity to reign over money. There's nothing wrong (except that it's mildly delusional) to believe that Tom Rothman is not just a more honest version of every other businessman in this game and that most would be thrilled to have his track record (or Mechanic's for that matter). But suggesting that something is wrong with Fox getting it's absolute, legal, moral, not remotely unusual due on this movie is infantile and/or intentionally self-deceptive.
That's all I'm sayin'...
And before you start telling me that I am in anyone's pocket, keep in mind... I knew this was going to happen almost exactly as it has the day I read the legal docs. It's not a borderline call. The only question is who pays what to whom. WB infringed on an existing contract and either maliciously or incompetently moved forward. Whoever compared it to Art Buchwald came close... but Fox is Buchwald and WB is Par... though Fox's claim is much more solid than Buchwald's. They wrote checks. They left it sitting like over 50% of written screenpllays sit in this business of turnarounds.
And the Fox Knew... Fox Should Have Pursued Earlier thing is utter bullshit. If your landlord doesn't ask for your rent every month and you get 6 months behind, does your obligation go away because your landlord didn't manage your finances and push you to act responsibly?
If "geeks" want to be treated like serious adults, they need to start banging on WB to eat their porridge and pay what they owe, so y'all can see Dr Manhatten hang out on Mars. If someone steals from someone you don't like, you don't just keep blaming the guy you don't like because he is "evil." Well... you do if you are six.
Read the complete post at http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2008/12/watchman_myopic.html