Just the other day we were worried that Watchmen wouldn’t make it to the cinemas on time, if at all (see Lawsuit May Delay ‘Watchmen’ Til June 2009), thanks to Fox’s lawsuit against Warner Bros.

However, things are looking up, now that U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess has set a January 6, 2009 trial date for the case.

The dispute is taking place between Warner Bros. and Fox, the latter claiming that the former has stepped over their rights to the comic book, created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. To be directed by Zack Snyder, fears were that a trial date would be set after the original March 6, 2009 debut date scheduled by WB.

According to Reuters, “Feess said Fox should forgo any attempt to get a preliminary injunction against Warners to stop the release of the film because the issues were far too complex to be resolved on an interim basis, sources said.”

Feess actually has asked Fox and WB to build a factual record and start “expedited discovery and depositions” as soon as possible. This seems to me — a layman — that Feess is aware of what Fox is trying to do, in delaying the movie, and is actively trying to reach a decision so as not to drag this into a public slugging match.

Either way, for once, it looks as if the justice system is out to get a justifiable result.