Everyone hear that? It’s Alan Moore, digging a grave, complete with special bar he can grasp to turn around on. Because he’s just heard the news that someone wants to try adapting The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen again.
You might recall that 20th Century Fox tried this trick back in 2003, with Sean Connery leading off an eclectic cast in a film that did not, it’s fair to say, prove to be much of a success at the box office or with fans. The horror stories about its production are legendary and it singularly failed to launch a new franchise, while also driving Connery into retirement.
Undeterred, Fox is instead turning to its TV division to try again with a pilot developed by **Green Lantern’**s scribe Michael Green.
The show will get a chance to prove itself to executives, with a new take on the team featuring Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde), Mina Harker, Dorian Gray and more.
No doubt the executives will be eyeing Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to see whether it’s the right time to launch such a show, though the success of Smallville and the more recent Arrow should bolster its chances of getting on the air. So, can the League’s curse be voided on the small screen? We may find out next year…