Despite moviegoers' comic book cravings, successful film adaptations are never a sure thing. So much can happen between pitch and production that creators tend to keep their cool until a project actually begins filming.
MTV News spoke with B. Clay Moore, writer of Oni Press' upcoming "Billy Smoke," about how the attachment of director Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Traitor") and "Lost" star Matthew Fox affect his assassin's redemption tale. After all, he and artist Eric Kim still have a comic to release.
"We're aiming to release the book next April," Moore told MTV News, "We've kind of circled the [Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo] as the place we'd like to debut the book."
Unlike, well, just about every other comic book film, "Smoke" was optioned based on a 2005 comic book pitch rather than a completed work. It's new territory, but the production model seems to be working. Fox has been attached to star since last summer's San Diego Comic Con, and last week Warner Bros. announced Nachmanoff had signed on to direct.
"In an ideal world, a 'Billy Smoke' movie does well and drives people to the book," Moore explained.
But do Hollywood dealings interfere with a comic's creation? According to Moore, details such as Fox's casting have only had a positive effect on the title.
"Fox matches up quite well with the character Eric Kim and I created, so from the moment his name came up, we've both been excited about his involvement," said Moore. "In some ways it helped Eric visualize the character, although he's not just drawing [Fox] into the book."
Though his level of direct involvement with the film is limited at this point, Moore is quick to give his support to the decision to sign Nachmanoff, especially since he feels the director seems to "get" what the book is about. For now, though, he's just focusing on his end of the project.
"My main concern is the source material," said Moore. "Eric and I just want to do what we'd initially set out to do: create a really fun comic book."
Does the "Billy Smoke" business model seem like a reasonable workaround for comic creators? Should it matter what order comic book ideas reach their eventual outlets? Speak your mind in the comments.