Now that Twentieth Century Studios is prepping a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reboot, the time has come to assemble some of literature’s strangest heroes. Based on the acclaimed comic book franchise created by Alan Moore and artist Kevin O’Neil, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reboot screenplay will be written by Revolutionary Road and Red Sparrow scribe Justin Haythe. Don Murphy, who produced Twentieth’s original adaptation starring Sean Connery, is back as a producer on the reboot. Joining him are producing partners Susan Montford and Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment.
Presented as a sort of Justice League of literary greats from Victorian England, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen plucks characters an inspiration from works like Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and more. The original iteration featured Mina Murray, Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, and the Invisible Man matching wits and weapons with Fu Manchu, Professor Moriarty, and aliens from H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
When The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen hit shelves, it was a massive hit with readers thanks to Alan Moore’s genius and O’Neil’s macabre and enthralling art. The first volume won the Bram Stoker Award for best-illustrated narrative, while the second won an Eisner Award for best-limited series. Many books followed until the story ended in 2019.
While the comic book series was a commercial and critical success, the 2003 movie based on the property was panned by fans and critics alike. I’m one of the few people who can tolerate the film, but I digress. 2003’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen took several liberties with the source material, adding Tom Sawyer as a U.S. Secret Service agent. The film also starred Sean Connery as Allan Quartermain, the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard’s 1885 novel King Solomon’s Mines. Stories suggest the film was marred by production problems, including ongoing confrontations between Connery and the film’s director, Stephen Norrington. Connery retired from acting soon after the film had wrapped. Woof! Regardless of the film’s quality, it grossed $175 million worldwide and sold like hotcakes on DVD.
Twentieth has attempted several reboots, including developing a female-focused version of the concept, though none were picked up for further development.
Which fictional figures Twentieth’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reboot plans on including has yet to be established. I think the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a fantastic concept that will require a hard sell in this day and age. Superheroes are a dime a dozen these days, and reminding audiences who these characters are and why they should care will be challenging. However, if there was ever a time to put an idea like this into motion, it’s now.
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