Interesting if true: the rumor column Lying in the Gutters reports that one of the bones of contention at the Warner Bros/DC Comics film summit was not just the “I’m a Marvel, and I’m a DC” comparison of movie slates, but Elfquest.

Wendy and Richard Pini made their deal with DC not just to hand publishing duties over to someone else, but to expand into other media — like the long-discussed Elfquest movie that never got off the ground. And what happened just months after the Pinis ended their arrangement with DC? Warner Bros. bought the movie rights.

So while DC had those rights, it didn’t do anything with them…but their parent company wanted to. Rich Johnston points out that it would have been a lot cheaper for Warner Bros. to develop the film through DC.

(Hmm, that reminds me, I’d better check their CafePress store before it closes due to the movie deal. If it hasn’t already.)