Alan Moore, co-creator of Watchmen, is displeased with HBO’s version. The debut of HBO’s critically acclaimed new series Watchmen drew over 1.5 million viewers. Alan Moore, on the other hand, was not one of them.
Moore, a comic-book industry veteran, has a delicate connection with his Watchmen comic, which is largely regarded as one of the medium’s greatest accomplishments. Moore cut connections with publisher DC Comics over what he perceived to be unjust treatment not long after co-writing the original story with illustrator Dave Gibbons in 1986.
Alan Moore refuses to be associated with any DC adaptions
HBO ordered a Watchmen TV drama from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof in 2018. Many people assumed that it would be a straight adaptation, but Lindelof stated that this wasn’t the case. The program would not only adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ famous twelve-issue series established in 1986, but it would also not draw inspiration from the Watchmen prequel comics or the Doomsday Clock sequel.
Aside from that, the showrunner had been somewhat mysterious, stating that the original story elements would be used, but they will be “remixed.” As a result, the series will be based in the same universe, and while familiar people will emerge, the globe will also be populated by new characters.
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He also refuses to be linked with adaptations of his work, such as Watchmen. “My book is a comic book. Not a movie, not a novel. A comic book,” he told in an interview in 2005, “It’s been made in a certain way, and designed to be read a certain way.” Gibbons is listed as a co-creator of the original comic in the HBO show’s credits, but Moore’s name is nowhere to be seen.
HBO’s Watchmen, as good as it is, highlights ethical concerns about tampering with someone else’s creation without their consent. It’s bringing the debate over creator rights back into the spotlight at a time when many of the most successful TV shows and films are built on the work of their creators.
Watchman series showrunner Damon Lindelof humiliates Alan Moore
HBO’s Watchmen series showrunner, Damon Lindelof, acknowledged what the Original Watchmen comic creator had to say about his adaption and sent him a letter stating, “Dear Mr. Moore, I am one of the b*stards currently destroying Watchmen.’’
Lindelof wasn’t attempting to pick a feud with famed comic writer Alan Moore. Moore’s choice to disassociate himself from the new adaptation of his graphic novel was “an ongoing wrestling battle,” according to Lindelof. The Watchmen showrunner states that,
“I don’t think that I’ve made peace with it,” he said. “Alan Moore is a genius, in my opinion, the greatest writer in the comic medium and maybe the greatest writer of all time. He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t want to have any association or affiliation with Watchmen ongoing and that we not use his name to get people to watch it, which I want to respect.”
Also Read: Watchmen Season 2 Will Not Happen As Creator Leaves Show
Despite Lindelof’s “personal overtures” to explain his new adaptation of the graphic novel, Moore remains adamant in his choice to disassociate himself from the project and will not consult on the series, an attitude he’s had on the material for years.
The Watchmen series is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Bounding Into Comics
