io9: lying in the gutters

Watchmen Ending May Be Closer to the Comic Than You Think

Graeme McMillan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:40:00 PDT

Will the Watchmen movie retain the original comic book ending or won't it? We told you about the recent Portland, OR preview screening of Watchmen, and the reaction of fans upon discovering that the ending of the classic comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had been changed by director Zack Snyder for cinema audiences. Now we're hearing that everything may not be as cut and dried as it may seem . . . spoilers ahead.

Rich Johnston's Lying In The Gutters column is reporting that the preview's climax - which saw the comic's pan-dimnsional squid replaced by a New York destroyed by a nuclear explosion - may have been a test by the moviemakers to see whether or not they could get away with deviating from the source material:

I'm told that this screening was intentionally leaked to the fan press - with the exact time and place posted online with details of how to evade the security. The intent is to gauge fan reaction to a squidless ending for Watchmen and see what they can get away with, believing it to be more suitable for a more mainstream audience. The FX for the squid has been completed however.

If true, this is an interesting development - and one that may implicate Collider.com as a studio patsy, if not willing participant in the experiment.

We'll wait and see what reports come from the second screening to see whether the squid makes its reappearance.

Lying In The Gutters [Comic Book Resources]

Is This The New Doctor Who?

Graeme McMillan — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:30:00 PDT

With the future of the BBC's top scifi franchise almost entirely uncertain following next year's special episodes, one source is claiming to know what - or rather, who - is the future of Doctor Who under the reign of new executive producer Steven Moffat. And, yes, that means someone to replace David Tennant, apparently. Meet your potential new Doctor under the jump.

According to official comic rumormonger Rich Johnston, Paterson Joseph will be the next Doctor Who:

My last couple of Doctor Who leaks were fairly solid — Neil Gaiman to write 2010 “Doctor Who” and Tom Baker returning to the series proper in an unnamed role. Both have been bubbling under ever since. The next one is not so tied down. It’s still rather up in the air. But it’s quite a possibility.

The sixth series of “Doctor Who” (2011) will star Paterson Joseph as The Doctor.

Previously playing Roderick in the “Doctor Who” episodes “Bad Wolf”/”Parting Of Ways,” Joseph is known for fine upstanding and terribly-well-spoken-dontcha-know roles as Johnson in “Peep Show,” the Marquis De Carabas in “Neverwhere,” Space Marshall Clarke in “Hyperdrive,” Lyndon in “Green Wing”…

…and more importantly Benjamin in “Jekyll.” Written and produced by upcoming “Doctor” Who showrunner, Steven Moffat.

If true, it’s a great call on Moffat’s part. A damn fine call. Paterson has a very British Authority approach to many of his characters, comparable with Jon Pertwee. It’s not a traditional choice, but then neither was Christopher Eccleston. And, like I say, it’s bloody brilliant.

Johnston himself rates the rumor as being "a little dodgy," but adds that that could change in months to come. Personally, I'm looking forward to it, if true - Joseph is a great actor, and a new Doctor would definitely be a way for Moffat to announce his arrival as the man in charge. Not that I have anything against David Tennant, but still... He has been doing it for a few years now...

Doctor Wow [Comic Book Resources]

Neil Gaiman To Write Who?

Graeme McMillan — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:30:00 PDT

Does the appointment of Steven Moffat as new executive producer on Doctor Who mean an influx of new talent for the space-and-time-travel show in 2010? Rumormeister Rich Johnston definitely seems to think so, and he's dropping a particularly big name as a potential future recruit to Moffat's writerly army: Sandman creator Neil Gaiman.

Johnston, a long-established fan of both Moffat and Who, devoted the start of his "Lying In The Gutters" column yesterday to looking at what the future may hold for the BBC's flagship Saturday show under its new ruler:

Well, some people see Steven as transforming Doctor Who into something very different. That's not true, Steven has been a cheerleader for Russell's work on the project from Day One and will continue in that vein. Indeed, he may well fight aganst what is expected of him. But odds are we'll get some more fun time travel stories out of it, maybe a slight tweak towards intricate structure, and some interesting geek-friendly names.
Such as the rumour running around my BBC sources that Neil Gaiman being approached to write an episode for 2010. That would be this Neil Gaiman, comic author, fantasy novelist, screenwriter, poet and writer of the Duran Duran Biography 1985... [W]hen I asked Neil if he'd care to comment, he pleaded the Francis saying, "You may very well think that, but I could not possibly comment."

I do very well think that. I do.

Of course, nothing will actually have been commissioned by the BBC at this stage, and there's many a slip 'twixt cup and prosthetic lip, but it's looking good.

Gaiman isn't the first unexpected big-name writer to be attached to the show, of course; actor, writer and leading dancercizer Stephen Fry was to write an episode of the third season before scheduling conflicts forced him to pull out, and there's been a floating, entirely unsubstantiated, rumor that Grant Morrison would be writing something for the series since Christopher Eccleston was announced in the role. Nonetheless, having a New York Times best-selling author join the writing staff even for one episode would be a publicity coup for Moffat in his new role. Let's see if we can wait two years before finding out whether it turns out to be true or not.

Lying In The Gutters [Comic Book Resources]