Watchmen case close to settlement?

Although both sides in the ongoing feud between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox over the distribution rights to the upcoming Watchmen adaptation are refusing to comment on their talks, the New York Times' blogger Michael Cieply reported seeing the two studio heads mucking it up during last night's Golden Globes.

From where this reporter sat at the Golden Globes last night, that sure looked like Tom Rothman of Fox and Alan Horn of Warner Brothers down among the superstar seats, smiling and back-patting — each other, not the superstars — just before the show began. A public display of affection between studio chiefs, along with those pricey “Watchmen” ads on the National Football League playoff games this weekend, would add up to a message as big as the Hollywood sign: The talks between hitherto warring Fox and Warner over a settlement of Fox’s lawsuit over rights to “Watchmen” must be on track.

The Times' Carpetbagger blog usually just reports the the up and downs of award season, so it remains to be seen how much truth there is in the assumptions Cieply made. He is correct, however--as I've said as well--that it makes sense for both sides to want a quick settlement to this case so they reap the rewards of what could be big hit come this March.