Fox owns everything having to do with the TV show. Joss doesn't. Besides, Vertigo and the Kuzuis want a franchise they can own and keep all the profits from. Any movie based on the Fox Buffyverse would ultimately belong to Fox, not them.
And you have no evidence to suggest Fox haven't been approached.
It wouldn't take a genius to work out that they would contact Fox.
You're closing doors for them before you know anything that has actually happened.
What actual, verifiable, 100% accurate information do we have about this movie?
The producers have said the script is already being written, or at least outlined. Considering all he has on his plate now (running a TV series, doing a feature, producing a major comics series, and who knows what else), dropping everything to write a feature film right now probably wouldn't be realistic.
Being written - thats not anywhere close to them saying its on on the lot being filmed.
Movie scripts are notorious for having many re-writes, sometimes even during the filming.
On top of that there are film makers out there that work on more over a 3-4 year stint than 'running a TV series, doing a feature and producing a major comic series', and lets not forget they are aiming for a 2012 release, but at such an early stage of development that could easily move a year or two.
What point needs to be made? Unless Vertigo signs a deal with Fox, their two Buffy franchises will be in competition with each other.
The point is you are hypothesising something that hasn't occurred. You're saying that there will be this issue as it will be actual fact - when in essence who can say what will happen.
Because it happened to Watchmen doesn't mean it will happen here. On the contrary, lets assume Fox doesn't want to be involved, the Kazuis will know that there might be an issue so they might have a proposal in the offing that Fox might want.
But thats speculation, just like what you are suggesting is.
I guess I could constantly state that the Kazuis are going to offer Fox something, but then I don't know so why would I say that?
I guess that's right in a way... they screwed up the movie so badly that Joss could afford to buy the then-worthless TV rights from them.
I would define "waltzing out of nowhere" as jumping in to claim the rights to a character they bankrolled 17 years ago, after she acquired value through the efforts of other people. Much like parents showing up and claiming custody of a child they abandoned years ago.
And those parents still have rights, even in a diminished capacity.
It also depends on the definition of 'screwed up' because I really liked the movie. The problem I have with that movie is the problem I have with most, I don't think 1.5 hours is long enough to tell a decent story so all the characters get decent depth - doesn't mean the movie was bad.
We here have the benefit of hind sight and comparison.
What you say may be true, but the point remains it must be galling that the Kuzuis can get a movie off the ground where he couldn't, despite his work being the reason Buffy has any value at all.
Of course its true - he was contacted to be part of something that is going ahead.
I don't believe he has tried that hard to get the movie off the ground, there would have been some interest.
And, as I said, the bit of evidence we do have that he could have at least had TV Movies, well he didn't seem too interested in that and passed it on to someone else.
I'm fairly sure that if he could have gotten SMG on board, he could have at least gotten a TVM off the ground, even if it didn't necessarily have the budget he'd like. I think he genuinely wanted to do a movie, but her holdout (and possibly that of other key cast members? I don't know) made that irrelevant.
This is obviously assumption. I'm fairly sure that he didn't want to do a Buffy related movie because he wanted to do other things and since that fell through he has had to change his tack.
I think JW now sees Buffy as a creative outlet rather than necessarily a big source of income. That's why he can just shrug off this movie. I'm sure he'll continue telling Buffy's story as long as he has a story to tell, regardless of how many people are listening. I know I'll always be there.
Again, I think Joss Whedon sees Buffy as a way to keep his fans around.
How many people on this forum alone stated during Dollhouse that had it not been for Joss Whedon they would have left the show after a couple of episodes and they stuck with it because they were waiting for him?
I don't believe Joss really wanted to continue in the Buffyverse, but he is intelligent enough to give a little to keep the fans hanging on.
I would like to know how many of the people who watched Dollhouse were already 'fans' of him or Buffy.
