Well, at least somebody thinks the upcoming Watchmen movie is going to be a big hit: Fox apparently thinks enough of the project to go ahead and sue Warner Brothers, claiming that they hold exclusive rights to develop, produce and distrubute a theoretical movie based on the groundbreaking graphic novel.
Of course, Fox's attorneys (all loyal Screengrab readers, we have no doubt) must already have known that WB was developing just such a property for some time now; we hear there's even been some talk about the movie on the internet. So the fact that they're going ahead with the lawsuit at this late stage is indicative of, if nothing else, the fact that they think the movie will make enough money to justify the legal proceedings.
The lawsuit itself is a horribly boring and complex affair involving quitclaims, exclusive rights, long-defunct production companies, turnaround agreements, and all that other stuff that big corporations use to generate income out of thin air. It seeks "unspecified damages" and will no doubt be settled out of court; its chances of actually stopping or even delaying the release of the much-anticipated adaptation are practically nil. But in today's Hollywood, a movie can barely be said to have arrived if it doesn't have at least a couple of good lawsuits whirling around it; the Fox suit is probably the best sign yet for fans that a Watchmen movie is really going to happen.