Aside from Dredd I can think of many of 2000AD ’s big characters who could easily make the transition to cinema; from Johnny Alpha’s adventures as a galaxy-roaming bounty hunter to Rogue Trooper ’s quest across the battle-strewn fields of Nu-Earth and Sam Slade’s madcap robot hunting antics, there is just so much to choose from.
Over the years 2000AD has featured stories about ghost hunters, future sports, genetically-engineered soldiers, alien invasions, robot warriors and many, many more varied and interesting story and character ideas. From the brutal to the comedic, from the subtle character pieces to epic tales of empires; the sheer scope of 2000AD ’s content should means it’s ripe for TV and movie adaptations and yet there have been few signs of any interest so far.
With Marvel and DC characters all over our cinema screens, I think it’s high time the House Of Tharg got in on the act too. Over the past 20 years we’ve had multiple takes on Batman , a Spider-Man trilogy and reboot, a Superman trilogy and two reboots and an X-Men trilogy with a prequel reboot. Marvel is currently raking in the money with its “Cinematic Universe” film series. Put all that alongside the many other comic book adaptations we’ve seen in our cinemas in recent years and I reckon 2000AD could do well off the back of a successful Dredd film, if the right people get interested.
Not wishing to sound dismissive of superhero films, but if so many movies can be churned out featuring variations on many similar comic book superhero tropes then why has 2000AD , with its treasure chest of unique ideas and characters, never been mined further? Is it because it’s created on the wrong side of the Atlantic?
Television is another possible avenue. With the likes of George RR Martin’s Game Of Thrones books and Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic being made into hugely successful TV shows then why not the characters and stories of 2000AD ? I’d love to see a channel like HBO try to tackle some of the worlds the House Of Tharg has introduced us to. Or what about the animated route? An animated ABC Warriors or Bad Company tale could be fantastic. But again there has never really been much interest and I wonder why. Is it really the “made on the wrong side of the Atlantic” thing?
So, 2000AD fans, I’m asking you do you think it’s possible for 2000AD to make the leap on to our screens, big or small? Why hasn’t it happened already? Would you want it to? And if so, which character from the pages of the comic would you like to see on our screens? Who, from 2000AD , do you think would do well in a film or a TV series?
