Based on the 1986 book by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen served as a deconstruction of the current superhero archetypes. Watchmen has often been credited, alongside the grim and street level works of Frank Miller, as being the catalyst that started the current age of comics. And if Director Zack Snyder has his way it will do the same to the current slew of comic book based movies.
Well I'd hate to break it to you, but there's someone out there who doesn't want you to see this movie:
He worships a snake god and wears finger armor
All things considered, Alan Moore is kind of a curmudgeon. Although a skilled writer and one of the most critically and fan acclaimed writers of our time, it seems he hates movies. Especially when the movie just happens to be based on his material.
No seriously. He wears finger armor
Does his name sound familiar? If not his catalogue of work most certainly will: From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V For Vendetta. All of these films have been based off of his best selling graphic novels (a term I hate for the most part, but we'll discuss that next time).
All of these books are not only by the same man, but they are considered by many to be some of the greatest works ever created for the format. But as for the movies? Ehhhhh...
Moore has seeked to distance himself from anything Hollywood has to do with his works hoping to keep them as two separate beings. Now if this was a smart move considering what the movies became or to be what caused the movies to be somewhat subpar, who knows? Moore has requested that his name not appear on anything based off of his works as well as signing over his option checks to the co-creators of the projects.
While there is a gaggle of fans (Moore included) out there who believe that there's no way a Watchmen movie can be filmed and still contain all the complexity of the source material, members of the media who have seen footage of the film claim it to be awe inspiring.
Luckily for Moore he's not alone in his crusade to keep this movie out of theatres, although his ally is in it for a different reason.
Fox recently filed an injunction against Warner Bros. claiming that they actually own the distribution rights to the film and that they need to be paid in order for the film to come out. The case goes to trial just two months before the films release date, and while it loooks like Fox is fishing for a paycheck, there are those who say Fox is after something else all together.
The rights to the 1960's Batman television show.
Warner Bros. currently holds all the rights to the program and has yet to release the show on dvd. By getting the rights Fox would then hold a piece of one of America's most recognizable television shows, but also be able to pop out some dvd's and make some easy dough.
So who's watching the watchmen?
Well certainly not Alan Moore, but hopefully we'll be able to this March.
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