Whos Watching the Watchmen? Not Alan Moore

I have always been a fan of Alan Moore. As a comicbook geek you almost have to. Its hard to deny that he has created some of the better stuff in the comicsphere. He was a cornerstone in the movement that saw comics adapting more serious writing methods and addressing more adult themes. However that being said, he is kind of a recluse and the most well known for despising and outright rejecting film adaptations of his work. With yet another of his products coming to the bigscreen, The Watchman is no exception.

Moore has been quoted as saying, “As long as I could distance myself by not seeing them,” he said, he could profit from the films while leaving the original comics untouched.” He sure likes the money he gets for the adaptations but he is so put out by them that he wont even watch them. After League of Extaordinary Gentlemen (loved the book) and From Hell, he is already pretty bitter. I think he would have liked V for Vendetta, but he hasn’t even watched it.

/Film quotes Watchmen Director Zack Snyder:

“We all want to please Alan, and I think that’s a noble thing to want to do. There’s nothing wrong to get the guy who frickin’ created the thing to not hate it, I don’t think that’s an outrageous thing to want,” said Snyder. “I think the approach is to assume that the movie is better, and that’s a mistake. I would never make any assumptions.”

I think that like a son’s efforts to make his father proud, this is a noble effort. If they were to use this as the benchmark for the quality of film adaptations, they can really do no wrong. Moore will still distance himself by default, but when you have an impossible man to impress, trying to impress him (and thinking you succeeded) is a good goal.

Moore looks like the kind of guy that would give death metal artists the chills. Maybe they are trying to impress him out of fear.

Either way, its looking pretty good so far. And if they somehow tied him to a chair and made him watch it, and he even gave half an endorsement it would be hailed as a miracle.

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19 thoughts on “Whos Watching the Watchmen? Not Alan Moore

  1. V For Vendetta is terrible. Not just as an adaptation but just as a film in general. the script is dreadful and has characters doing things that make no sense whatsoever, the action is laughable but the number one reason the film is a failure on every level is the acting. Portman should be in actors jail with a life sentence for her performance. Weavings voice is so disembodied from the on screen appearance that is so easy to tell where he is not behind the mask and james purefoy is. Its just a dreadful film and if Moore did see it could drive the man to suicide to see his art and work butchered almost beyond recognition.

  2. I’m comic geek I went to the Wizard World comic con this past June and I saw Warren Ellis. Stay with me everyone. I learned a lot about Alan Moore from Warren and thing you have to understand is that the man is insane. That’s not a joke. He dug a cave under his house for Pete’s sake. Anywho there was a Q&A with Warren and my brother asked him, “What projects would be based off his work and would he have control over the movie/tv/animation/whatever?” Warren said “Even if I singed over control I wouldn’t be like Alan Moore and moan about it forever.” Which is his M.O. Alan wants to write great Graphic Novels and be know for that. TV and movies are great for what they are but in his mind they’re not what he does.

  3. I think I should clear up some confusion here. Moore never said he was refusing to watch the films, interviewers just misunderstood his beard-muffled speech. He wasn’t saying he “wouldn’t” watch the adaptations, but that he “couldn’t” see them through his hermit-do. Won’t somebody please liberate this titan-scribe from his hairy shackles?

  4. comedian looked young cause he was in vietnam, he was youngish then. the only old scene u saw was him punchin the wall and that was back of head. i think it looks really good. yer its not gonna be like the comic cause the movie would have to be like 8 hours long with headsets to listen to all the character self reflection. people just gotta accept its not gonna hold true no point in whining just enjoy the the special effects and seeing the characters come to life. or just get over it and dont watch the movie. Alan knows what its about he doesnt cry he just doesnt watch them.

  5. @ “He sure likes the money he gets for the adaptations”

    Rodney, that’s a pretty cheap unwarranted shot you took at Moore.

    All projects before League? How many films is that? One?

    If you think Moore would’ve like V then I don’t think you really got that book.

  6. The book inst gritty as hell, its what u would expect from the 1980. I mean the actual look of the film is to gritty, dirty and dark looking. Remember how new work looks in the first TMNT movie? thats all it needs. Its like they think they have to try really hard and be better than real life. Slick and polished is what every massive film pretty much looks like now. I hope it shows more of the colors and ideas expressed in the book. If you wanna see what i mean go to the now official site.

  7. Actually I think the film looks too slick and polished. The comic is gritty as hell.
    I agree with that the cast is too young but it’s a business and I’m sure that the people at the top don’t see a future in casting a relatively unknown comic book movie with a bunch of unknown 40 year olds as the leads. Not going to happen.
    The FX look fine, remember it’s still a year until it’s premiered and none of the FX in the trailer are final.

  8. How can anyone say the film is looking good? Its way to gritty looking, dosent seem to show anything in the way of the books look or feel also in terms of colour. The cgi and blue screen stuff, combind with the now Hollywood look will make it date within ten years and the cast is all younger? Night owl is ment to be in his 40s and have a gut, but they wouldn’t never have older actors in the film as it needs to be hip for its audience. Why does the Comedian look 20. Its well on its way to failing, fans are deluded its almost like they go nuts over anything with out thinking about it.

  9. I’m pretty sure Moore would have hated the V FOR VENDETTA movie also. I think it falls short in a lot of ways compared to the original novel and I myself was pretty disappointed with the film.

    You can’t really blame the man for being very skeptical about movies based on his work.
    After all, two of his masterworks have been turned into god awful dreck by the Hollywood-machine (LXG, FROM HELL) and V FOR VENDETTA wasn’t good either. Why should he think it’s any different this time?

  10. Slushie, now you are misreading as well.

    Moore never expressed an opinion on the movie, Plutonick was expressing that he felt that HAD Moore seen it, he likely wouldn’t like it. Not stating that Moore hated it.

    Moore hates the idea of his works becoming films and out of protest wont watch any of them. He has stated as such. He doesn’t claim to have an opinion on the movies themselves but rather that Hollywood is making them at all. He wants no part of it.

  11. Pluto, YOU get YOUR facts straight.

    He indeed refused to see the movie, therefore he can’t have an opinion on if he liked it or hated it.

  12. Get your facts straight

    1. He didn’t get money, at least not for ALL of his comic adaptions
    2. He wouldn’t like V. His book was individuality. The movie had a great anti-individuality scene with people wearing V’s mask that was VERY against the GN.

  13. Actually Moore has never accepted any payment for the adaptions, he’s wished that the money he would get would instead go to the artists that worked on the book with him.

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