And hey, the Black Freighter stuff is boring? First I’ve ever heard that comment…

I mean, come ON! Although certainly nobody can tell how this movie is going to be in the story, directing, acting aspect – simply on the basis of photo after photo of utterly faithful and at the same time inspired set and costume design, this is clearly a respectable effort that has more than earned the benefit of the doubt. They’re even using Dave Gibbons’ color palettes, and in a non Dick Tracey, believable way! That’s love in those pictures.

For years I’ve been dreading the eventual film to be made from this book, and the series of pictures so far released has completely turned me around. I’m getting dangerously excited about this film, to the point of having to tamp down my expectations in order to not be disappointed.

And now, an animated Black Freighter? Sorry, that’s just awesome. I will happily buy it.

Alan Moore is a great author and I respect his unbudging principled stands, but I’m also really looking forward to this film, which is clearly being handled in a highly respectable way, moreso than anyone could have ever predicted it would be.

There’s milking by hand, and milking by machine. These folks are clearly milking this cow by hand, with care, and bag-balm. mmmm – good milk!

And that’s your uncomfortable metaphor for the evening.

I don’t know it always kinda stuck in my craw that he made a big stink about those Watchmen figures a ways back yet they made a Tom Strong figure. Also the stink about how they altered V for Vendatta’s themes to make it more timely. I mean hasn’t he made a career out of using and altering others’ creations to meet his own needs. Do you think that Orczy wanted the Scarlett Pimpernel to be running around a giant uterus before getting spunked on? I don’t know maybe. But maybe not too!

I love Alan Moore, but I mean come on, I don’t feel the need to take up some cause for him either.

I definitely dislike that they’re being so blunt and calculated about selling the same product repeatedly but them’s the breaks. While I’m far from convinced that Watchmen will make a good film I actually do believe that Snyder is sincere and trying to deliver as faithful a version as he thinks he can.

Warner Bros Animation rules.

~

Coat

Hopefully it’ll be an original film, and not clips of the movie strung together.

Hopefully it’ll be an original film, and not clips of the movie strung together.

Just because someone questions your words doesn’t mean they think you are stupid. Nat Gertler is a publisher, as well as a creator. He knows quite a bit about contracts, copyrights, and trademarks.

As to Moore, he signed a contract with DC over Watchmen that he thought would let the rights revert back to him in a few months or years. It turned out not to be so. I got the impression that he thought someone had made a Gentleman’s agreement with him, then reneged.

The deal with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was that the studio flat out lied about Moore’s participation in the movie. They said Moore had read the script and approved. Not so. Moore subsequently feels that the movie business is full of untrustworthy people, and he wants nothing further to do with them.

That said, it’s unlikely an R-rated (is it really R?) superhero movie will generate the kinds of numbers to provide incentive to make a sequel, especially given the production costs. I get the feeling all the offshoot DVDs are a way to recoup costs and in effect franchise the movie while it’s still in theaters, because there’s no way in God’s Holy Hell there’ll ever be a Watchmen 2…but it is Hollywood we’re talking about.

Not assuming that what you interpreted from the deal on LXG is the deal on Watchmen – that’s not a way to “play stupid”. Rather, it reflects that not all movie rights deals are the same, just as not all prose deals are the same (as you admitted in your backpedaling.) And I’m someone who has written or co-written about a couple dozen books for other publishers (in addition to being a publisher myself), and who has signed away and optioned movie and TV rights. For example: does Gibbons make additional money if the Watchmen movie is successful enough that the studio backs a sequel theatrical release? I know that under contracts I’ve had, I would’ve. I know that other folks who have made their comics creations made into movies have made additional money off of the sequels.