MOORE SLAMS V FOR VENDETTA MOVIE, PULLS LoEG FROM DC COMICS
Alan Moore, co-creator of the "V For Vendetta" comic, has publicly disassociated himself from the upcoming Warner Brothers movie project based on the comic book and written and produced by the Wachowski Brothers. And as a result, he has cut his remaining ties with DC Comics, including future volumes of the "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
Moore has promised future "League" comics will be published by a US/UK collaboration between Top Shelf and Knockabout.
Extraordinary Adaptations
Alan Moore has written some of the most critically acclaimed comic books of the eighties, nineties and two thousands, across genres, countries and publishers. His early British work for Marvel UK, "2000AD" and "Warrior," led to DC Comics asking him to write a number of their titles, leading to the British invasion of US comics and at least two publisher imprints. He is regarded by many as the medium's greatest living creator, with titles such as "Watchmen," "V For Vendetta," "From Hell," "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen," "Top Ten" and "Promethea" continually successful and remaining in print. However, while every publisher would like to work with him, many have found him unwilling. Moore has had a tendency to "punish" publishers for what he believes are personal betrayals or shoddy behaviour. And he refuses to change, even when circumstances do.
Moore's work has often been a source of inspiration for others, including Hollywood, and a number of directors credit him openly. So it was natural that his comic book work might be seized upon as the comic-book-film trend became more popular. But the kindest thing that can be said about the films "From Hell," "Constantine" and "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is that they're not as good as the comics.
Alan's oft-repeated stance on this is that the original comics remain untouched. "As long as I could distance myself by not seeing them, enough to keep them separate, take the option money, I could be assured no one would confuse the two. This was probably naïve on my part."
This has changed. Speaking to me on Friday, Moore added to this sentiment, telling me "after the films came out, I began to feel increasingly uneasy, I have a dwindling respect for cinema as it is currently expressed." This came to a head when Alan Moore was sued as part of a suit against 20th Century Fox for plagiarism of the screenplay "Cast Of Characters" which bore heavy resemblance to the movie version of "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" starring Sean Connery.
"The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was a series Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill created for Wildstorm, a comic studio and then part of the publisher Image Comics. The series takes the entirety of Victorian pulp fiction as a backdrop for new adventures for a team of very familiar characters. As part of his ABC line for Wildstorm, the comics continued even after DC Comics bought Wildstorm. Moore's history with DC Comics over creator ownership and corporate attitudes had seen him swear off working with them, so a "firewall" was built up so Moore could continue the line, but never have to deal with DC Comics. However, DC editorial occasionally interfered with published work, leading Alan Moore withdrawing cooperation from an anniversary reprint and CD of his iconic superhero work "Watchmen."
The "League" was very well received, critically and commercially. Moore had sold the movie options before the first issue had been solicited. But the lawsuit shocked him to the core. Moore seems amused by this now, though at the time he was not. "They seemed to believe that the head of 20th Century Fox called me up and persuaded me to steal this screenplay, turning it into a comic book which they could then adapt back into a movie, to camouflage petty larceny." This led to Moore giving a ten-hour deposition - he believes he'd have suffered less if he'd "sodomised and murdered a busload of children after giving them heroin."
My own research into this story showed that there was some resemblance between the "Cast" and "League" screenplays - but mostly over aspects of the film that did not appear in the comic book, Quatermain as the lead hero, the appearance of Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray with Huckleberry Finn as the revealed villain amongst others. It's arguable that the case had merit, but not against Alan Moore. However, by 20th Century Fox settling the case, Moore felt this was almost an admission of his guilt.
Moore felt that enough was enough and decided that if something was worth reacting to, "it was worth overreacting to." He stated "I'd have nothing to do with films anymore. If I owned the sole copyright, like with 'Voice Of The Fire,' there would not be a film. Anything else, where others owned copyrights, I'd insist on taking my name off future films. All of the money due to me would go to the artists involved. I'd divorce myself from the film process, the film industry and any adaptations. And I felt a sense of moral satisfaction."
Moral satisfaction however doesn't always pay the bills. "When Karen Berger rang me up to give me money for the 'Constantine' movie, I asked her to take my name off the film and split the money with the artists. Most of it went to Rick Veitch, who although was the first to draw John Constantine yet wasn't receiving anything from the film.... The rest was split between John Totleben, Steve Bissette, Jamie Delano and John Ridgeway, divided so everyone ended up with the same amount in total.
"The same with the option money on 'V For Vendetta.' I think it was about eight grand. It went to David Lloyd. Now, I wasn't doing this because I could afford it, I was short of change actually, but I just wanted it done. Give it to Dave, take my name off the film."
"I'm Alan Moore And I Endorse This Message"
This decision has been a topic in a number of interviews with Alan Moore of late, notably the BBC Radio 4 Chain Reaction interview by Stewart Lee (transcript here).
What wasn't known until now is that earlier in the year, Alan Moore told DC, through Scott Dunbier, that if there was "any more meddling, any more pulping, any more problems" that he'd take his remaining DC project, "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen," away from DC.
Earlier in the year, Moore received a call from "V For Vendetta" writer/producer and "Matrix" director Larry Wachowski, but told him politely, "I didn't want anything to do with films and had no time this year, being in the middle of work, my day job, writing, I wasn't interested in Hollywood." Shortly afterwards, Alan Moore was made aware of a press release sent out covering a press conference producer Joel Silver and the cast had held.
In this press release, Joel Silver, as well as announcing that the release date November the 5th 2005 was the 100th anniversary of Guy Fawkes attempt on Parliament, instead of the 400th anniversary, also said of Alan, "he was very excited about what Larry had to say and Larry sent the script, so we hope to see him sometime before we're in the UK. We'd just like him to know what we're doing and to be involved in what we're trying to do together"
Alan felt, basically, that his name was being used in vain. Not only had he expressed the opposite to Larry, but his endorsement was being used as a selling point for a movie - the reason he'd requested his credit and association be dropped from all of these movies.
Alan, through Wildstorm editor Scott Dunbier, instructed DC/Warner Brothers to issue a retraction against these "blatant lies - that's the phrase I'm groping for." He called Scott up and told him that he was "Nineteen pages away from finishing all my contracted work" for ABC/Wildstorm/DC Comics - three pages on the "League," sixteen on "Tom Strong."
Moore requested a retraction, a clarification and a modest apology, posted in a forum with a similar weight to the original press release. Moore says he'd have been happy with something along the lines of "Due to a misunderstanding, Alan Moore does not wish to be associated with the 'V For Vendetta' movie." Moore gave DC two weeks to rectify the matter as he saw it. I understand from DC sources that Paul Levitz tried personally to illicit an apology from Joel Silver without joy and that at a corporate level, there was no possibility of issuing a corporate apology with such a similar weight as the original press release, though Silver's words were removed from the movie's Web site.
It wasn't enough. So after two weeks, Alan Moore did as he said. Moore's last remaining "League" for DC is all but completed and due this year.
A Change Of Scenario
This is "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Dark Dossier," a hardcover graphic novel coming from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill later this year from ABC/Wildstorm/DC Comics. Moore tells me this "will slip in between volumes two and three" of the "League." Moore described it to me as "not my best comic ever, not the best comic ever, but the best thing ever. Better than the Roman civilisation, penicillin..." The human brain? "Yes and the human nervous system. Better than creation. Better than the big bang. It's quite good."
He continues, "It will be nothing anyone expects, but everything everyone secretly wanted." It's unusual to hear such hyperbole from one more commonly associated with self-deprecation. It's nearing completion and Moore tells me he was in a recording studio last week, working on part of it. Yes, that intrigued me too, though Moore refused to be drawn past the tantalising glimpse he'd deliberately dropped.
Then after that, volume three of the "League" will be published by Top Shelf/Knockabout a year to eighteen months later, in a totally new format. And future volumes will continue from this publisher collaboration (see sidebar).
Alan told me that as a result of finally and permanently splitting from DC, he's has a general feeling of elation. He feels good about himself, as if a weight has been lifted. Earlier reports I'd had from the past two weeks were that his temper was high, but speaking to him found the same calm, serene gentlemen I'd met on and off over the last ten years.
And in this spirit of bonhomie, Alan Moore decided to propose to his longterm girlfriend and co-creator of Lost Girls, Melinda Gebbie. She accepted and they have announced their engagement.
