Now that Universal is rebooting their classic monsters franchises with a new expanded universe plan, 20th Century Fox wants to get in on a little of that action with a similarly-flavored reboot of their own: The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel, which features various characters from classic works of literature by authors like Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain and more.
The League of Extraordinary Gentleman first hit the big screen in 2003, touting itself as a very different sort of superhero team-up film. It was the last live-action film Sean Connery made before he retired, but it sadly left both critics and audiences unimpressed.
According to Variety, 20th Century Fox is giving it another go, following their failed attempt at a TV series back in 2013. Now that Marvel has achieved vast success with its shared universe approach, another adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel seems like it might succeed — each character and their history has already been established through classic literature, making The League of Extraordinary Gentleman an efficient scenario: imagine if Marvel could make The Avengers without all the solo movies necessary to lead up to it.
Moore’s novel, as explained by the author himself, was sort of a “Justice League of Victorian England,” and featured characters like Mina Harker from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, classic adventure hero Allan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll, The Invisible Man and Captain Nemo. The film adaptation also featured Dorian Gray and Tom Sawyer.
The League of Extraordinary Gentleman is a promising concept, and one that might fare well in our current superhero-heavy climate, providing a quirky counterpoint to Marvel’s vibrant and fun films and DC and WB’s grittier offerings. The 2003 film was such a huge disappointment, but with the right creative team in place, a new League of Extraordinary Gentleman movie could be surprisingly fun.
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