Alan Moore, the creative mind behind Watchmen, is notorious for hating adaptations of his work. His tune, however, is markedly different for the announced series adaptation of his recently published fantasy novel, The Great When.
“For the first time in my career, I’m genuinely excited and enthusiastic about a work of mine… one that I own, and believe could work marvelously in a different medium… being adapted for the screen,” Moore told Deadline, who broke the news that the studio Playground had secured the rights to the novel, the first in a five-book Long London series the author has already mapped out.
“In Playground, I feel that I’ve connected with people who respect both me and the narrative and are receptive to such input as I can offer,” Moore added. “And, given Playground’s track record, I have little doubt that this will be anything short of spectacular. It’s taken me some time, but I think at last I’m ready for my closeup.”
Playground is the production house behind the Wolf Hall adaptation and other British period series, including the popular All Creatures Great and Small.
The Great When also falls in the British period piece bucket. Here’s the official synopsis:
Amidst the smog of post-WWII London emerges Dennis Knuckleyard, a young clerk employed by a second-hand bookshop. One day, on an errand to acquire books for sale, Dennis comes into the possession of a novel that simply does not exist. It is a fictitious book from the Great When, a nightmarish, imaginary realm that is the supernatural counterpart to the city Dennis calls home. Dennis has to return the book or get killed. Soon he finds himself at the center of an explosive series of events, navigating a new realm of criminals, artists and occult figures that puts his life at risk and may alter and endanger both Londons forever…
The deal is a new one, so the project is still in its early days, though Playground has said they see this as a multi-season series.
