The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Sean Connery (2nd L) is joined by co-stars L-R Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Jason Flemyng and Shane West, all members of the original "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," at the film's UK premier in 2003. It was recently revealed that Fox is hoping to reboot the series. Reuters

Although it’s partially responsible for ending Sean Connery’s career, Fox is giving “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” another shot at the big screen. According to reports, the studio is moving forward with a reboot of the acclaimed comic series.

While some may not know that the story, which many people remember best as the 2003 action/adventure film starring Connery, was actually a very popular comic book series written by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. In it, a collection of iconic pulp literary heroes in the Victorian-era battle supernatural threats to the realm. Key characters include Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker, Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man), Secret Service agent Sawyer, Dorian Gray and Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde.

The movie news was first reported by Tracking Board, which claims that 20th Century Fox is interested rebooting the concept for a potential run as a franchise, since those are doing so well these days. With film series like DC Comics’ upcoming “Justice League” play and Marvel’s lofty Phase 3 “Avengers” plans doing so well at the box office and with fans, there might just be room in the public eye for another franchise of superheroes. According to Deadline, Moore himself once called the story “The Justice League of Victorian England.” John Davis will produce through his Davis Entertainment group and Ira Napoliello and Matt Reilly will oversee the bulk of the project.

Still, the success of other stories like it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not a risk for the studio. After all, not only did the first film leave a bad taste in critic’s mouths, it also has a failed TV show attempt working against it. As Variety notes, a series was developed for Fox in 2013 with “Green Lantern” writer Michael Green working as the showrunner and executive producer with Erwin Stoff. While a pilot was produced, it never went to series.

What do you think about a modern “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” reboot? Comment and share your thoughts below or tweet them to @TylerMcCarthy.

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