'Watchmen' Producers Speak Out

In an untraditional move, veteran producer Larry Gordon has written a long letter to U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess blaming Fox and his old lawyers for the dispute over the "Watchmen" film. (Also on Thursday, "Watchmen's" other producer, Lloyd Levin, spoke out against Fox in an open letter posted on the Web site HitFix.) In Gordon's letter, the producer claims he has been subjected "significant public scorn" for his part in the studio battle and said that he had answered deposition questions "to the best of his knowledge." The Dec. 24 ruling found that Gordon, who is not a party to the case, failed to properly secure rights to "Watchmen" from Fox before shopping the film or setting it up at Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter. Because Gordon "refused to testify" to key questions during his deposition, the judge said he would not be allowed to speak on "any aspect" of the case. Feess would not read the letter, calling it an "improper communication" in violation of court rules.