 On February 14 , 2008 , 20th Century Fox brought a lawsuit against Warner Bros. that alleged copyright infringement on the Watchmen film property . The studio believed it held the rights to produce the film , or at least distribute it , no matter how many studios Watchmen passed through , and sought to block its release . Warner Bros. said that Fox repeatedly failed to exercise its rights over various incarnations of the production . Through producer Lawrence Gordon , Fox had bought the rights to the comic book in 1986 . Fox alleges that when it put the project into turnaround in 1994 , a separate 1991 deal that transferred some of the rights to Gordon still gave them the option of distribution , sequel rights , and a share of the profits should it be made by any other studio . Fox 's interpretation of the 1994 turnaround deal also meant that Gordon would not fully control the rights until the studio 's development costs — estimated by Fox at $ 1 million — had been reimbursed . Despite originally passing on the project , Fox also alleged that its agreement with Gordon contained a " changed elements " clause , meaning that if Gordon changed any of the key creative personnel on the film , Fox would have first option on participation , claiming that Gordon did not inform them of Snyder 's joining the production in 2005 . 
