Not long after that Alan Moore stated that he was “absolutely” done with comics, citing the “unbearable” industry, the guards creator revealed to GQ that he had sent a letter to HBO’s showrunner guards creator told him in no uncertain terms never to contact him again.
Moore, who also shared that he ditched the 2019 Emmy-winning adaptation, has long been open about his disdain for the comic book film industry and any adaptations of his work. “I would be the last person to want to go through adjustments to my work. From what I’ve heard of it, it would be hugely punitive. It would be torturous, and for no good reason,” he told the publication.
The Batman: The Killing Joke author shared that he received a letter from the showrunner of the HBO adaptation while the show was in development, hoping for a little guidance from the series creator.
“Dear Mr. Moore,” the letter would have started. “I’m one of the bastards who is currently destroying” guards.”
“That wasn’t the best opener,” Moore criticized. “It went on with a lot of what appeared to me to be neurotic rumblings. ‘Can you at least tell us how we pronounce ‘Ozymandias’?” I returned with a very abrupt and probably hostile answer, telling him I thought Warner Bros. knew that neither they nor any of their employees should contact me for any reason.”
Aside from the harsh comments, the former comic book creator shared some insight behind his vitriol with showrunner Damon Lindelof (who was not explicitly mentioned in the article).
“I explained that I had rejected the work in question, and in part it was because the film and comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, “Look, this is embarrassing for me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me anymore,” Moore practically pleaded.
Moore says misinterpretation of guards Decreases his value to him
When Moore de guards series in the 1980s, the author set out to deconstruct the idea of the hero, saying that all the recent adaptations have resulted in audiences grossly misinterpreting the series’ message, losing personal value to him.
“When I saw the TV industry prices that the… guards tv show had apparently won i thought ‘oh god maybe a lot of the audience this is what they think’ guards used to be?’ They think it was some dark, gritty dystopian superhero franchise that had something to do with white supremacism,” Moore objected. guards? guards was nearly 40 years ago and was relatively straightforward compared to much of my later work. What are the chances that they have broadly understood something since then? That makes me feel less than fond of those works. They mean a little less to my heart.”
The critically acclaimed HBO guards series is now available to stream on HBO Max.