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‘The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ Reboot In Development At Fox

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 03:28 PST, May 27, 2015

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is set to be rebooted by 20th Century Fox, as the studio hopes to turn the Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill graphic novel series into a viable franchise.

Ira Napoliello and Matt Reilly are overseeing the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen remake, according to Variety, which will represent the studio’s third attempt to get a franchise based around the concept up and running. Previously, the graphic novel was adapted into a much-maligned 2003 film (the last of Sean Connery’s career), which also famously began Alan Moore’s contentious relationship with Hollywood. In 2013, a planned television series was in development, and though Fox made a put pilot commitment, the show was never ordered as a series.

John Davis has reportedly been brought on board as well to produce the League remake through his Davis Entertainment banner. According to Coming Soon, the studio is currently seeking a director for the new League film in order to shepherd it through the development process.

Set in an alternate-reality Victorian London, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is similar to The Avengers in concept, yet focusing on literary superheroes. In the first graphic novel, the league consists of Allan Quatermain (King Solomon’s Mines), Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Mina Harker (Dracula). The plot focuses around the formation of the league, which is assembled by the British Government as part of their effort to combat a war between Professor Moriarty and Fu Manchu.

When The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was first adapted as a film in 2003, much of Moore and O’Neill’s original source material was thrown out in development, leading to a variety of problems for the production. As the Inquisitr previously reported, The League flopped when it was released and though a franchise was planned at that time, the film only grossed $180 million worldwide. According to the report, the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film will not tie into the original adaptation in any way.

Though it was originally launched as a comic book series in 1999, the world of the League has since expanded, giving the upcoming reboot ample source material upon which to draw. Following the original graphic novel, later additions to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series incorporated plot elements and characters from H.G. Wells’ War Of The Worlds and The Island Of Dr. Moreau, as well as the works of author H.P. Lovecraft.

[Image via Twitter/ Den Of Geek]

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