Alan Moore's fantastical The Great When to get a TV adaptation
The Watchmen author's latest work is being made for TV and, for once, he's happy about it
Watchmen author Alan Moore has always been pretty down on adaptations of his work, but has found one he’s happy with: The Great When.
Moore’s latest novel, The Great When, is due to become a TV show, according to Deadline. And the great bearded world-builder is finally as content about the news as his fans.
“For the first time in my career, I’m genuinely excited and enthusiastic about a work of mine…one that I own, and believe could work marvellously in a different medium…being adapted for the screen,” says Moore.
The show is in development at Playground Entertainment, which produced the Wolf Hall and Lynley TV series, among others.
“In Playground, I feel that I’ve connected with people who respect both me and the narrative and are receptive to such input as I can offer. And, given Playground’s track record, I have little doubt that this will be anything short of spectacular. It’s taken me some time, but I think at last I’m ready for my closeup,” says Moore.
The graphic novel creator and author has previously asked to have his name removed from adaptations of his works, including Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
Why? Moore ended up in a dispute with publisher DC, believing the rights to his work would end up in his control — but that would rest on those works going out of print, as per the stipulations of Moore's contract. And DC made sure they never did.
But with The Great When, he clearly has greater creative control. It’s based in a new world, that of Long London.
The wonderful world of Long London
The idea is there’s another London behind, or underneath, the physical one we know. It’s a London where ideas and archetypes take on fantastical physical form, and some plain old flesh puppets find they are able to travel to (or stumble into) this other world.
Moore has only released the first of what is planned to be a five-part novel series, and that book only came out on October 25.
It follows Dennis Knuckleyard, a boy who works in a bookstore and finds himself in possession of a book from the “other” London. And if he doesn’t return it, he could end up turned literally inside out.
What follows is a fun adventure, with parts that could be a right headache to transfer to screens for a VFX team. There are some other obvious tricky parts too, if The Great When is to aim for a wide TV audience — a character whose language would turn the air blue and a sex worker main character. We'll have to see if Playground and Moore end up clashing over those parts.
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