7 Ways to Actually Adapt Alan Moore's Impossible-to-Adapt "From Hell"

From 1989 to 1996 notoriously persnickety comic writer/genius/occultist Alan Moore and illustrator Eddie Campbell published From Hell, a series that, when finished, would widely be regarded as one of the great—if not the greatest—graphic novels ever written.

The collected edition runs 572 black-and-white pages, detailing a conspiracy-laced investigation into the Jack the Ripper killings, replete with freemasons, mysterious visions, and lots of dead prostitutes. Really, though, the book was a platform for Moore to espouse his views on philosophy, psychology, classism, and even architecture. (Lots of architecture, actually.) It would not be wrong to call From Hell Moore's magnum opus. It would also not be wrong to say that this book is very difficult read, even for Moore fans, which is why things like The From Hell Companion exist.

Considering the level of baroque, it's no wonder that the Hughes' brothers 2001 film adaptation failed to capture one-tenth of what made the comic book so awesome. Then again, who could have? Well, as was just announced, FX, apparently. A new series is being developed by Children of Men writer David Arata and produced by Don Murphy, who also handled the film.

While I'm skeptical that translating Moore's to the small screen is even possible (and it goes without saying that Moore hates the idea), here are seven ways it could actually work. FX, please read this.

Nathan Reese is a News Editor at Complex. He tweets about comic books here.

Clearly Depp's return isn't even on the table here. But the point remains: From Hell is a book about stodgy, middle-aged, not-particularly-attractive British people at the end of the 19th century, and the casting should reflect that. Johnny Depp is a great actor, but putting the handsome star in the shoes of the world-worn Frederick Abberline was a mistake.

This is story calls for character actors who are willing to dive into the darkest recesses of human consciousness. May I suggest Stephen Rea, fresh off a fantastic turn in The Honorable Woman, as Abberline, and Gary Oldman​ as Sir William Gull? Hey, it could happen.

FX has already said it envisions the series as a "mini," which I guess means it's going to be another limited-run series in the vein of True Detective or Fargo. That seems like the perfect way to go with this, but considering the amount of material in the graphic novel, the writers should tailor the length to the source material—not the other way around. That means if they need to run 16 episodes (or just six) they should go with that. With a story as twisty as From Hell's, forcing it to adhere to a traditional season seems like the wrong move. Thankfully, FX seems to agree.

Part of what makes From Hell so fantastic are the extended meditations on art, philosophy, history, and other dense intellectual pursuits. In one of the greatest sections of the book, Gull and his coachman traverse London visiting ancient historical sites that, when connected, form a city-wise occultist message. If True Detective taught us anything, it's that audiences are more than happy to endure endless philosophical musings. Alan Moore is basically Nic Pizzolatto on steroids. (But, like, in a good way.)

While I haven't read anything to suggest something American might be afoot (thank Glycon), it's important to make clear that From Hell is a British story that requires a British hand. That means David Arata should do his best to rope in as much English talent as possible and, ideally, film in London. While I doubt they'd try to relocate a Jack the Ripper story to New York or Seattle, the streets of London are such a large part of the novel it'd be a shame not to actually shoot there. Contrary to what producers seem to think, American audiences are totally cool with accents. Let's bring them the realism they deserve.

From Hell is really, really complicated. But it's not too complicated to be followed by an intelligent, discerning audience. Part of the reason that the Depp version was such a bummer was that the Hughes brothers siphoned off all the interesting bits, leaving it as a traditional detective story when the original was anything but. Sure, it's weird that Jack the Ripper's escalating brutalities causes him to have visions of a distant future London. That's also what makes Moore's storytelling so delightfully weird, illuminati beliefs and all. People are smarter than you think.

...but not at the detriment of the medium. As along as we're talking about a From Hell adaptation and not just another take on the Jack the Ripper story, it might as well hew as closely as it can to the source material. That said, TV is its own medium, so there are going to be inherent cuts made—especially if it's only running 12 episodes. That means the writers are going to have to make some hard choices. It will be a balancing act to include all of Moore's detours and side plots while keeping up the momentum necessary for television. Let's hope they're up to the task.

Yeah, I know this is a reach. A big one. (And it runs counter to my earlier comment about keeping this British...) But then again, this whole article is just waxing theoretical, so why not wax big? Soderbergh's The Knick, for Cinemax, has proved the director a master at shooting a gritty, historical city better than anyone currently working. He's imbue gothic blood and gore with an almost transcendent beauty. With The Knick's second season already on his plate, Soderbergh is a busy man. Still, considering the pace he's capable of working at, I wouldn't rule it out. If there's going to be blood (and there certainly will be), let's have a true master in charge of the splatter.