Veronica Mars and the Unhealthy Glow of UltraViolet

For TechHive, I write about today's streaming-controversy of the week, where Veronica Mars Kickstarter backers got UltraViolet/Flixster redemption codes and got…angry.

This Year: Complete Batman '66 TV Series on…Blu-ray?

In addition to this tweet from Conan O'Brien, I've reached out for confirmation regarding Blu-ray or DVD format ("no comment"), uncut/unedited ("no comment"), and new supplemental features ("no comment").

What I was told, that "everyone is going to be very happy", makes me comfortable placing a heavy bet that it will have been remastered from film source for Blu-ray, as the episodes originally aired (edited down previously for syndication), and with a boatload of extras. This is how WB can kick off their Batman 75th Anniversary Year in style.

Next on my wish list is giving Bill Finger long-overdue co-creator credit on the character and universe.

The reason this has taken so long is a longtime dispute between FOX (who own the show), and Warner Bros (who own the characters and overall license). I heard rumbling last summer that the two sides had finally settled on a split where one side would get toy licensing and the other home video and streaming rights, but San Diego Comic Con (which had Batman '66-branded bags yet again) came and went with no official announcement.

My baseless speculation upon prior rumor is that FOX somehow will benefit from SVOD/streaming rights, having relinquished physical media release and licensed product rights to WB. If FOX has good lawyers, they may still have some sort of interest or stake in the backend of both, but only lawyers and file clerks will ever know for sure.

OOP Watch: Warner Archive Adds...Out of Print Paramount!

In an under-the-radar tweet among many others today, Warner Archive teased the best thing to result from WB Home Entertainment distributing the Paramount library: OOP DVD titles from Paramount are being re-released by Warner Archive Collection. I've embedded the "Oops"...or "OOPs", rather, video below, but here's the full list of titles revealed in the video, all of which routinely run for between $30-80 on the secondary market:

• The Naked Jungle
• The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull
• Hello Down There
• Brother Sun Sister Moon
• The Brotherhood
• The Molly Maguires
• Back to the Beach
• Lifeguard
• Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
• White Dawn
• Anything Goes (1956)
• The Family Jewels

Warner Archive has confirmed to me directly that all previously-available extras will be preserved on these new releases.

Could this mean that more...many  more OOP Paramount titles might soon escape?

Out of Print Watch tracks titles going in and out of print on physical disc, an event which either makes it much easier or drastically harder to find the movies you love at a reasonable (or any ) price.

Robinov on the Way Out at WB?

THR reports that the primary contributing factor to Robinov being shown the door will end up being a fraught relationship with Legendary boss Thomas Tull. The power struggle with now-President (and former WB home video head) Kevin Tsujihara is quite secondary:

Given his track record, Robinov can make a strong argument for himself. After a rough start to the year, The Great Gatsby has crossed $200 million and Hangover III, though disappointing with a $63 million domestic opening, is not a disaster. More importantly, buzz is loud on the Christopher Nolan-produced Superman reboot Man of Steel that could launch a mighty Warners franchise and perhaps even a Marvel-style universe of films from its DC Comics division.

Robinov also has strong relationships with such talent as Nolan and Ben Affleck. And while not universally loved, Robinov's performance on the job leads one leading film agent to predict that he will remain at the studio. “The main thing you want is stability,” says the agent. “You’ve already got television in transition. Even with Jeff’s odd personality and quirks, I’d re-up him.” But this observer acknowledges that he is one of a minority wagering that Robinov will remain.

On the other side of the scale is the tension between Robinov and Legendary Entertainment, Warners’ partner on films including the Batman and Hangover trilogies. Sources say Legendary and Warners shared the decision to put Hangover III against Fast & Furious, but Legendary’s Thomas Tull has made it known that he feels disrespected and may move (mostly likely to Universal) when the company’s deal expires at the end of the year. (Some of his chagrin may have originated when Warners declined to sweeten Legendary’s deal on the third Batman, though such a decision would have been made above Robinov's level. While it was a 50-50 partner on the first two films, Legendary got only 25 percent on the third. Meanwhile, Warners has 25 percent of the risky Legendary project Pacific Rim, set for release July 12.)

WB needs Legendary. Without Legendary, WB's theatrical slate is anemic at best. From the outside, WB theatrical is embodied in the lackluster money-losers they've pushed into production and taking years to get anyone slapped onto things like the Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie. Look what happened when they did Green Lantern without Legendary.

If I were a betting man, Robinov even possibly being on the way out is a strong indicator that Tsujihara is doubling down on Legendary. Despite their own share of bombs, Legendary actually have a strong success ratio both critically and financially. Especially when comic book-scale action movies (The Avengers, Fast & Furious 6) are the big winners, you want someone who can do that sort of thing and do it well, especially if you want to make a Justice League movie.

Legendary and Warner Bros.

I've been thinking about this nearly-week-old piece from Variety about the impending split of Legendary Pictures and Warner. The gist of the piece is that, based on how well WB did without them on Green Lantern (an unqualified flop), they would be wise to stay on the Legendary train as they hurtle toward making more big comic book movies like Justice League.

While sources close to the matter stress that there is no clear frontrunner amongst rival studios should the partnership with Warner end, many industry insiders are betting that Legendary and Universal wind up together. Legendary’s films could easily translate into theme park attractions at Universal Studios properties around the world and could be cross promoted across all of NBCUniversal’s media assets, including NBC. Universal will need to replace the massive hole that will be left once its outside production funding from hedge fund Elliott Management dries up at the end of the year.

It's been a good partnership thus far, and I wonder what happens to the DC universe movies without Legendary's guiding hand.

In the end, Legendary could still stay put at Warner Bros. Tsujihara will presumably make further attempts to make Tull feel more welcome. And, earlier this year, Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes told analysts there was “problem solving going on” between the two companies.

Maybe we'll hear something at San Diego Comic-Con?

By mid-to-late summer, Hollywood should know whether Legendary and Warner Bros. still need each other.