[for the Alan Moore fans] Details of the V for Vendetta movie revealed

"V For Vendetta" details revealed
04 March 2005

It‘s probably fair to say that to date big screen adaptations of Alan Moore‘s graphic novels, such as "From Hell" and "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen", have been rather average. Well all that looks set to change as shadowy comic book "V For Vendetta" is coming to our screens and, from what we‘ve seen, it shouldn‘t disappoint.

The movie is about to start shooting in Germany – it‘s "economically advantageous" according to producer Joel Silver – before moving on to London and we were lucky enough to be in Berlin when the Warner Bros. project was officially unveiled.

Adapted for the screen by the Wachowski brothers, the folks who bought us "The Matrix" trilogy, "V For Vendetta" is set in an alternative timeline where the UK is under the rule of an oppressive, fascist regime. But a masked vigilante known as V is fighting a guerrilla war against the government when a young woman named Evey Hammond joins him in his struggle. British actor James Purefoy has been cast as the enigmatic V – who can be described as a Guy Fawkes–type character – and fans of the comic book will be pleased to know that we never get to see the anti–hero‘s face. "It‘s infinitely more mysterious," Purefoy explained describing the mask as "melancholic and isolating, reflective…of the character." And the 40–year–old is obviously taking this challenging role seriously – as well as standing in front of the mirror for hours on end to get to grips with his face wear, he‘s even fallen asleep in it!

Joining Purefoy is recent Oscar–nominee Natalie Portman as Evey, a woman she describes as no "damsel in distress…she takes matters into her own hands." Although she confessed she‘s no comic book fan, Portman did reveal that the source material raised "moral…and philosophical issues" that she didn‘t expect and left her thinking for days. And it looks like the actress is taking things just as seriously as her co–star, even going so far as to shave her head to illustrate the "transformation" Evey undergoes during the course of the story.

Given the current political climate, it‘s easy to see why some people might have reservations about a movie that glamourises characters who could be seen as insurgents and even Portman admitted that she‘s struggling to decide if V and Evey are freedom fighters or terrorists. "That‘s the big question," she sighed, although she was quick to point out that the film celebrates the "power of people [and] the right to revolt."

But what can we expect visually from a film that‘s based on images already burned into fans minds courtesy of David Lloyd‘s stunning artwork. Well director John McTigue explained he intends to use Lloyd‘s graphics as "leaping off points" and wants to give London a "neo–futuristic" look that will compliment the dark tone of the script.

And what of the fans? Well it‘s true that some hardcore "V For Vendetta" aficionados have expressed concern that, given the Wachowski‘s involvement, the film will be a victory for style over substance and that the Moore‘s original message will get lost in a flurry of special effects. But Joel Silver disagrees. "This is more people centred than The Matrix [and there‘s] not so much reliance on the CGI in effects," he said while McTigue stressed that his movie will stay true to "the themes of the graphic novel and runs close to what Alan Moore wrote and tried to say." Add to this that all the post–production will be done in the UK and it would appear that the project‘s British heritage is being carefully preserved – even the film‘s official logo has been amended and now comes straight from Lloyd‘s artwork.

Will Moore himself be involved? Well apparently Larry Wachowski has spoken with him and the hope is that "V For Vendetta‘s" co–creator will take a more hands on role when the production moves to the UK. But one things for sure – "V For Vendetta" is a one shot deal and there will be no sequel as Silver confirmed, saying "This is it, it doesn‘t go past this."

"V For Vendetta" starts it‘s twelve–week shoot on Monday (March 6th) and should reach our screens, rather aptly, on November 5th – the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes‘ infamous attempt to blow up the Houses Of Parliament.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they make an excellent and though provoking film.
http://www.mymovies.net/news/?timeline=z&sec=news

BTW, if you look under this article, it seems Nic Cage is going to star in a remake of the Wicker Man, which is an awesome British movie. I'm fully expecting them to f*ck it up.

 

The official site is up along with pics from the press conf. and a transcript.

http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/

 

They've been trying to make it for years, it's definately happening now though: http://watchmenmovie.com/

Unfortunately I don't see how they can turn it into a movie. Even if they dump the Pirate story thing, this works so much better as a HBO miniseries.

 

The pirate story was the comic book that the little kid at the newspaper stand was reading. It's supposed to paralell the main story.