Should you 'Plan' to watch the new 'Battlestar Galactica' movie?

Marvel owners seek to invalidate Kirby heirs' copyright claims

The battle between Marvel Entertainment and the Jack Kirby estate is bringing out each side’s inner Hulk.

The comic book publisher and movie producer, which was recently acquired by the Walt Disney Co. in a $4-billion deal, has unleashed a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the copyright termination claims made by the heirs to the iconic artist. It's the latest tactic in the fight over profits from some of the most lucrative superhero characters.

The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, against the Kirby heirs is essentially a preemptive strike to halt the Kirby family’s bid to reclaim the characters. It follows a series of letters from Kirby estate attorney Marc Toberoff in September in which his clients notified various copyright holders and licensors of their intent to terminate copyright to a slew of properties at various points in the coming decade (when they will, in the heirs' view, become available). Those properties include The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor, The Avengers and many others from which the movie blockbusters are adapated.

Jack Kirby was a renowned artist instrumental in the creation and shaping of these characters, his family argues, and is thus entitled to profits like any other copyright-holder. Disney has maintained that Kirby’s work was considered for-hire and that his heirs are thus not owed any further profits. 

Like other heirs to 20th century comic book artists, Kirby’s progeny have become more aggressive in seeking to recoup their share of the profits.

The battle could impact Hollywood properties in a number of ways. If the heirs were granted copyright, it could force studios to hand a slice of movie and merchandising profits over to the family (making their tentpole franchises less profitable) or give the heirs a say on how and to whom those properties are licensed; in a worst-case scenario, it could hold up the development process for these films.

Nearly all the properties to which Kirby is seeking to terminate copyright are active Hollywood franchises. Paramount licenses Iron Man, for instance, and will release a new film this spring. Sony is working on a new Spider Man sequel (that may or may not see the light of day in 2011). And Marvel itself is preparing both Thor and Avengers pictures.

Neither Toberoff nor Disney immediately returned calls seeking comment.

--Steven Zeitchik

Photo: The Incredible Hulk; Credit: Universal Pictures

Should you 'Plan' to watch the new 'Battlestar Galactica' movie?
The use of "previouslies" has gotten pretty common in television.

With the rise of serialized shows, even the most hardcore fan of a particular program might forget details that affect ongoing story lines. Hence many dramas begin with a "previously on ['Show X']" segment, which toward the end of a meaty season, can become almost comical in length.

The standalone TV movie "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," which airs on Syfy Sunday, feels like a two-hour "previously on 'Battlestar Galactica.'"

The best "Battlestar" extras -- the TV movie "Razor" and the "Face of the Enemy" Webisodes -- focused tightly on interesting characters and/or a specific time and place. Watching "The Face of the Enemy," in fact, was almost a claustrophobic experience; most of it took place inside a cramped transport ship, but the tight quarters only added to the tension and sense of foreboding that pervaded that fine Webisode.

"Razor," of course, had the charismatic Michelle Forbes at its core; it was a great idea to revisit the Pegasus and her compelling commander. That TV movie revisited a time and place that we'd already glimpsed in the regular series, but it explored Forbes' character and the choices of other "Battlestar" characters in such depth that the whole enterprise felt worthwhile.

"The Plan," however, flits so quickly from event to event in the "Battlestar" timeline (it mostly fills in gaps in the show's first two seasons) that the film as a whole feels like a relatively superficial exercise.

Dean Stockwell, who plays two versions of Cavil in the "Battlestar" universe, is a fine actor, but Cavil is one of the most chilly members of the Cylon race (I wonder what "The Plan" would have been like had Lucy Lawless been available to take a leading role. Several other "Battlestar" actors are also MIA, except in scenes from previous seasons.) And I was surprised at how much old footage "The Plan" used. The film does seem, at times, like a clip show with a number of extended scenes.

There are some witty lines, a good performance by Stockwell and it's nice, on one level, to revisit the "Battlestar" world that I still miss so much. But "The Plan" is probably something that only hardest of hardcore "Battlestar" fans will want to check out. And they may find, as I did, that it filled in small gaps in the storytelling that may not have needed to be filled in.

Thousands celebrate Elvis' 75th at Graceland
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — About 3,000 fans joined Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley's grandkids today at Graceland to celebrate what would have been the King of Rock 'n' Roll's 75th birthday.
Eric Kandel Reminisces About Memory

Neuroscientist and Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel has been studying the molecular basis of memory for more than 50 years. His life and career are the subject of a new documentary, In Search of Memory. Kandel discusses the state of memory research and shares his own memories.