

Campy 1960s TV show Batman could be the real target of 20th Century Fox's legal battle with Warner Bros. over next year's Watchmen movie, according to comics blog Lying in the Gutters.

Fox filed its Watchmen suit as a tool to win the right to release the Batman show on DVD, the blog theorizes:

"Sources tell me that Fox want the 1960s Batman TV series," writes columnist Rich Johnston. "Currently Fox own the TV footage, but Warner Bros. own the characters and trademarks, via their ownership of DC Comics. The rights to a DVD release have been held up for a long time now, and this case looks like it may be the instrument to release them."

Another site, TVShowsOnDVD.com, says Fox faces plenty of other legal hurdles with regards to releasing Batman on DVD.

In addition to the typical rights-clearance issues – music, writers, directors, on- and off-camera talent – the show featured tons of cool cameos and guest stars. The show's running "Bat-climb" gag, in which the Dynamic Duo appeared to climb up a wall and often passed other ABC stars, contributes to what the site calls a "rights hell" faced by Fox as it tries to bring Batman to DVD.

The frequent cameos and other pop culture tidbits buried in the Batman TV show helped make it a pop culture classic, equally loved and loathed by Bat-fans around the world. Do you have any favorite cameos or enduring peeves about the show? Let us know in the Bat-comments section below.

Who Watches the Batman DVDs?: Lying in the Gutters

Image: Batman logo courtesy Wikipedia

[via io9]

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