James Gunn‘s recent online activity teases a potential reboot for Vertigo Comics’ characters, including but not limited to V For Vendetta. After he and Peter Safran announced the initial titles of the DCU chapter 1 slate, people got a renewed interest in DC’s comic books. One of the DC Comic books series that got a lot of interest was the one where Swamp Thing was first introduced,
The Swamp Thing comic book series was published under DC’s Vertigo Comics banner. Karen Berger initiated it as editor in 1993. Its purpose was to be DC’s label for comics with adult content, including nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence. Popular titles under Vertigo include the likes of The Sandman, Hellblazer, Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables.
By 2020, Vertigo Comics got rebranded to DC Black Label after the company’s reorganization. However, prior to the transition, Vertigo released their Vertigo Essentials from 2013 to 2017, featuring reprints of their popular titles. These titles include Vertigo Essentials: 100 Bullets, American Vampire, Fables, The American Way, The Sandman, V For Vendetta, and Y: The Last Man.
James Gunn Open To V For Vendetta Reboot
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Swamp Thing was in Vertigo comics, but he was really a DC character. That said, we're dealing with a couple potential things with Vertigo – comics that I really adored.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 7, 2023
Back on March 8th, Gunn answered a tweeted question about whether there is a possibility of seeing other Vertigo characters in their DCU besides the Swamp Thing. He replied:
Swamp Thing was in Vertigo comics, but he was really a DC character. That said, we’re dealing with a couple potential things with Vertigo – comics that I really adored.
This disclosed information opened the door for fans to think of two possible titles they might just be working on for the DCU future. Given that Gunn has also shared previously that the titles they have officially announced were just “nearly half” of their intended composition of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, there truly is ample room for more. Plus, that is just the first chapter.
If one is to look at Vertigo’s published list and check for previous movie adaptations, two titles come into mind: Hellblazer and V For Vendetta. While one of the two already has active talks for a sequel, John Constantine star Keanu Reeves has recently shared his thoughts about the diminishing possibility. Even though he is still hopeful, he is also being realistic in expecting that it might not happen.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Meanwhile, V For Vendetta had its live-action adaptation for the big screen back in 2005. James McTeigue made his directorial debut with the movie. Lilly Wachowski and Lana Wachowski wrote the screenplay with the graphic novel art of David Lloyd. The three updated the story to accommodate the contemporary theatrical audience.
V For Vendetta original comic book source writer Alan Moore was not subtle in sharing his disappointment with the adaptation after his noninvolvement in the film’s direction and writing. Co-creator Lloyd shared that Moore was actually more likely keen on getting a direct comic-to-screen adaptation.
The 2005 movie starred Hugo Weaving as V and Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond. The movie is a futuristic dystopian political action film centring on V, who intended to ignite a revolution through orchestrated terrorist acts.
James Gunn Could Be Developing V For Vendetta Reboot
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
READ MORE: James Mangold In Talks To Direct DC’s Swamp Thing Movie
Since Gunn says “a couple of potential things”, they could indeed be discussing the possibility of two more Vertigo character arcs in development in DC Studios, other than the Swamp Thing. Personally, another exciting title for me is Fables. One only needs to flip a few pages of one comic book of that title to find the idea of a movie adaptation highly interesting. But then, that will likely be entirely separate from the DCU umbrella as Fables is actually a vast treasure chest of fairytale characters re-imagined for a more mature audience.
Of course, The Sandman is already on Netflix (the second season is being worked on as we speak), and soon Dead Boy Detectives will also be there. That still leaves tens of comic book titles as possibilities for a couple of projects that are in development. A Constantine and V For Vendetta reboot remain among the top options.
Could the Vertigo-referenced upcoming projects belong in the DC Elseworlds? Or are they coming into the DCU? Which character or story for Vertigo do you think will come into DCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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