Building on the current trend of turning movies into TV series, Deadline reports that FX is working on a drama series based on Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s acclaimed graphic novel From Hell. This is the same From Hell that was turned into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham in 2001, but this time executive producer Don Murphy, in a tacit admission that the movie wasn’t all that good, is selling the From Hell series as a chance to “do [the graphic novel] justice.” (Murphy also produced the 2001 film.)
There may be something to Murphy’s plan—significant changes had to be made to Moore and Campbell’s sprawling 572-page, heavily-annotated graphic novel to adapt it into a two-hour movie, changes that would not necessarily have to happen in the long-form TV format. FX’s adaptation of From Hell is being written by Children Of Men screenwriter David Arata, and the Hughes brothers, who directed the film version, are reportedly not involved. Original writer Alan Moore is also not mentioned in Deadline’s report, but a statement on how much he hates the idea is presumably forthcoming.