AceShowbiz -

Despite all the messy acrimony behind it, "Watchmen" gets to keep its original release date on March 6. A settlement that was proposed by both 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. earlier this month reaches an agreement point which is not elaborated further other than the announcement that there would be no delay on the U.S. theatrical release.

In a joint statement on Thursday, January 15, the studios said, "Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros. acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography."

"Fox acknowledges that Warner Brothers acted in good faith in defending against those claims. Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theaters."

Deemed as one of the most anticipated films to be released this year, "Watchmen" becomes the center of legal dispute between the studios that insist they have the distribution right to the film. Fox claimed that they have the rights in the graphic novel and that WB shot the film despite this knowledge.

In December 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess recognized Fox's right and WB were encouraged to settle the matter in private. This led to a decision by the two studios to have a discussion before a court hearing on January 20.