Alan Moore has publicly opposed any film and TV adaptations of the comic books and graphic novels that he created or worked on. Despite the praises that it received, the Emmy-winning limited series Watchmen is no exemption from the rule and, in a recent interview with GQ, the writer shared his harsh opinions on the series.
"I would be the last person to want to sit through any adaptations of my work. From what I’ve heard of them, it would be enormously punishing. It would be torturous, and for no very good reason," Moore said regarding the adaptations based on his works before he shared an anecdote regarding the time when series showrunner Daniel Lindelof sent him a letter.
"And a frank letter from the showrunner of the Watchmen television adaptation, which I hadn’t heard was a thing at that point. But the letter, I think it opened with, “Dear Mr. Moore, I am one of the bastards currently destroying Watchmen.” That wasn’t the best opener," he continued.
"It went on through a lot of, what seemed to me to be, neurotic rambling. “Can you at least tell us how to pronounce ‘Ozymandias’?” I got back with a very abrupt and probably hostile reply telling him that I’d thought that Warner Brothers were aware that they, nor any of their employees, shouldn’t contact me again for any reason.
Moore added, "I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, 'Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again.'"
The famed writer was definitely brutally honest when he shared his thoughts about the adaptations of his works and shared how he wasn't pleased with what Lindelof did on the series. It is not surprising to hear this considering the statements that Moore has also done in the past.
Obviously, it is all just Moore's own opinion about the matter you can either agree or disagree with what he said. However, you can't deny that we have to at least listen to or consider his points since he is the creator of those works.
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Watchmen is available to stream on HBO Max.