Alan Moore, probably the best comics writer who ever lived, doesn't want anything to do with Hollywood. In fact, while movies continue to be made from his work, he rejects all money from them, and assigns it to his collaborators on each project. Why? Neil Gaiman explains:
This was because he was deeply hurt and offended and irritated by being accused in the Larry Cohen lawsuit of having written League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as some kind of studio shill, and because Alan never does anything by halves. Up until the lawsuit his position was that he didn't care about the films people made from his work, but was happy to cash the cheques; after, he decided that he didn't even want to cash the cheques.
He hasn't even seen The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - or From Hell, another big-budget movie recently adapted from his work. And that's probably for the best, as the movies are nowhere near as accomplished as the original comics. Considering the depth, originality, and technical brilliance of the sources (particularly From Hell), that the movies are standard Hollywood pap is... well, unsurprising, but still slightly offensive.
From Hell the movie was an extremely dumbed-down version of Moore's story. I haven't seen The League, but by all accounts it was a complete bastardization of the concept, and pretty much a turkey.
Ironically, after Moore made his announcement earlier this year, movies made from his work have started coming fast and furious. Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves, is finished, Watchmen is on its way, and now V for Vendetta has been officially announced.
The Wachowski Brothers and Joel Silver, the creators and producer of the revolutionary, $1.6 billion-grossing "Matrix" trilogy, will unleash the action thriller V For Vendetta for Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, with Natalie Portman ("Star Wars: Episodes I-III," Closer, Garden State) set to star.
Joel Silver. Jesus Christ.
Constantine would also seem to suck, considering that the studio's first decision was to transform the title character - a sarcastic, blond, working-class Liverpudlian - into a dark, brooding American.
Watchmen is unfilmable, as the most interesting thing about it is Moore's use of formal techniques unique to the comics medium, stuff that is literally impossible to transfer to the big screen. That one of the main characters is naked throughout might also be problematic...
V for Vendetta is actually, Joel Silver's attachment notwithstanding, the only one that has a sporting chance of being any good at all, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Read the comics instead.
By the way: Can someone explain why "VE" is circled in the poster's logo above, instead of just "V"?
3 comments:
Dunno about the VE-thing, but you shouldn't be so hard on Mr Silver. I think he kinda looks like a cool guy and he actually has produced many masterpieces, like Die Hard 2 and Bordello of Blood (a classic!).
The movie will be kicked by a donkey b/c the donkey's balls will be burned by hydrochloric acid the movie takes them so deep.
Is your name Ken? Come on, you can tell me.
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