Vendetta Reassigned

If you've even a passing interest in graphic novels then you'll have almost certainly read Alan Moore's Watchmen (currently being adapted) and will likely have a copy of his other masterwork, V For Vendetta, as well. A cult hit since the eighties, V For Vendetta has been literally crying out for a screen adaptation and even came close once or twice. The Wachowskis had it on their to-do list before getting tied up with the Matrix films (you've probably heard of them) but now they've passed the torch to first-time director James McTeigue, who is in negotiations to take on the job. McTeigue served the Wachowskis as first AD on the Matrix trilogy and has recently finished a similar gig on Episode III, so it's not like he hasn't been around some pretty ambitious projects - he was also second AD on Street Fighter but everyone has an off day. From the faultless pen of Moore (as close to comic royalty as you're likely to get), V For Vendetta takes place in the distant future that was 1998. In this reality the UK is run by a fascist state that crushes any and all resistance under its jackbooted heel. However, there is a flaw in The Man's grand plan and it takes the form of V, a freedom fighter who starts a ruthless guerrilla campaign against the occupying force. Well plotted and typically Moore-like in its gritty tone, V For Vendetta was a comic hit and, providing McTeigue's up to the task, will definitley be a film to watch out for.