Moore Wants His Name out of Watchmen Comic

Alan Moore definitely wants his name removed from work that he does not own. His creations that are named to another include V for Vendetta and the Watchmen comic. No doubt due to the unpleasant experiences Moore had both in working for DC Comics and then Warner Bros., he appears to be one of many creators unsatisfied and unhappy with the direction their created masterpieces are taking or have taken. Very similar to when film directors choose to be credited as Alan Smithee.

This term is the official pseudonym used by the Directors Guild of America for film directors who wish to disown a project that they took part in. Originally coined in 1968, this term was used when a director is not happy with the final product of his directing. And in order to be allowed to use this, he must prove to a panel of the guild that he, as a director, was not able to fully exercise control and discretion allowed to guide the creative output of a certain film. This term was first created and used in a film released in 1969. The lead actor arranged to have the director replaced because he was unhappy with him. The replacement director discovered that the previous director had already spent 25 days filming while he only shot for about 9 or 10 days. Furthermore, he claimed that the lead actor was the person really in charge the entire time. When the movie was done, the replacement director didn’t want credit for the film, and the replaced director didn’t want anything to do with the movie. The panel of the Directors Guild of America, after hearing the dilemma, agreed that the final product didn’t represent either director’s creative vision and thus sought out to place a name. The name changed from Al Smith to Alan Smithee.  

With the current adaptations of Alan Moore’s comics into movies, the result was devastating for him. Besides the lack of recognition, the actual films themselves do not even represent what the comic books have been actually talking about. A little disparity would have been tolerable and understandable, but to actually fail to express what the comic book has so vividly shown is a bit of injustice. In fact, what characterizes and differentiates Alan Moore’s work is the employment of the comic book to tackle topics and themes most conservative people find obscene, if not totally offending. 

This 2009 is the schedule for the release of the movie adaptation of the Watchmen comic. If the previous film adaptations are any indication of the end-result, then Alan Moore has every reason to be cautious and guarded. The last encounters with these conversions of his work didn’t go quite well with Alan Moore.  For a creator to actually give up his work, and forbid his name to be attached or credited with the product demands a grave reason. Rather than tarnish his reputation or the quality of his work, he would rather let go of some of his best work and maybe start again. Unfortunately, there are no accounts of Moore collaborating with other filmmakers or trying to have a hand in film-making or directing.