Fox is having another go at adapting the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic, and this time, the movie will focus on the female characters.
The 2003 adaptation of Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was, despite its stellar cast (which included Sean Connery, Tony Curran and Stuart Townsend), a lukewarm hit at best. At worst, it was the movie which made Sean Connery retire from acting.
The early 2000s were a tough time for superhero movies, not counting breakout hits like Spider-Man and Watchmen. But now, despite the general Hollywood reboot fatigue, it makes sense to re-adapt this iconic story right at the height of the superhero movie boom.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a very different, original type of superhero ensemble: taking place in Victorian England, the story collects famous characters from British fiction. The “extraordinary” team includes Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man and Huckleberry Finn.
We’re even more excited about Fox’s reboot after reading these comments from producer John Davis, who has been speaking to Collider about how they plan to distinguish the movie from its predecessor.
Davis explains that this time, rather than trying to update the story, Fox will be, “Going back to the roots and making it authentic to what the fan base was really excited about. […] I think you can always find a fresh way of doing something and going back to the basics. What is that people love? What is it that made them love the property in the first place?”
Intriguingly, Davis says they plan to make this movie “female-centric.” Revealing that he has been inspired by this summer’s smash hit Mad Max: Fury Road, he says, “I love female characters, point-of-view characters in action movies.”
Related: Eleven Mad Max: Fury Road Easter eggs you may have missed
Despite its title (which obviously isn’t The League of Extraordinary Ladies), Extraordinary Gentlemen actually features quite a few female characters, although only Dracula‘s Mina Murray is really prominent. There’s Janni Dakkar, Ayesha, Emma Night, Fanny Hill, and Orlando (who changes sex involuntarily at different points of his/her life), to name a few.
And we’re sure Fox could drop a few other iconic heroines in there, too, considering the nature of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
We’ll keep you updated as the story develops!
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