WHAT WENT WRONG

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

February 23, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The film *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* is visually appreciated by the hosts for its practical effects and design, but ultimately suffers from a tonal mismatch and a messy story structure rooted in production issues. 
  • Director Stephen Norrington's history of exerting significant creative control, stemming from his successful but difficult experience on *Blade*, foreshadows the chaos that plagued the production of *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*. 
  • The film's script underwent significant changes due to external factors, including copyright issues with H.G. Wells' estate and the creative mandates from 20th Century Fox following the September 11th attacks, which altered the story's core elements and character roster. 
  • The production of *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* was severely hampered by a catastrophic flood in the Czech Republic in August 2002, which destroyed millions of dollars in sets, including Captain Nemo's Nautilus, and caused significant delays. 
  • The relationship between director Stephen Norrington and star Sean Connery devolved into extreme hostility, culminating in Norrington asking Connery to punch him, and Connery later taking over post-production editing, effectively sidelining the director. 
  • The film's failure to launch a franchise was compounded by its direct box office competition with *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl*, and the subsequent plagiarism lawsuit involving Alan Moore, which caused Moore to vow never to allow film adaptations of his work again. 

Segments

Initial Movie Impressions
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(00:01:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is viewed as a fun idea that falls short of its aspirations due to tonal imbalance and a messy story.
  • Summary: The hosts expressed affection for the concept of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but felt it missed the mark on tone, lacking the humor of The Mummy (1999) and the heart of Hellboy (2004). They appreciated the practical effects, design choices like Nemo’s car, and Sean Connery’s scenery-chewing performance. A key weakness noted was the on-screen imbalance between Connery and the rest of the cast.
Alan Moore and Comic Background
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(00:12:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Alan Moore severed ties with DC Comics over rights issues before writing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen under his own Wildstorm imprint, America’s Best Comics.
  • Summary: Alan Moore, known for V for Vendetta and Watchmen, had a public rupture with DC over rights, leading him to establish his own imprint at Wildstorm. Producer Don Murphy optioned the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen concept around 1998, even before the comic was published. When Wildstorm sold to DC in late 1998, DC did not acquire the rights to the League, which Moore successfully firewall-protected.
Comic vs. Film Character Changes
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(00:18:24)
  • Key Takeaway: The film significantly altered the comic’s core structure by making Mina Harker a vampire and placing Alan Quartermain in charge, contrary to the comic where Mina leads the ‘gentlemen.’
  • Summary: The comic was designed as a Victorian ‘Justice League’ led by Mina Murray (not Harker) to protect the empire’s interests against Professor Moriarty and The Doctor (Fu Manchu). The film dropped The Doctor and changed Mina’s role to a vampire, which illustrator Kevin O’Neill noted unbalanced the narrative. The film also added American characters like Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray to appeal to US audiences.
Director Stephen Norrington’s History
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(00:30:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Norrington’s success directing the R-rated Blade proved the viability of comic book adaptations and secured him the director role for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
  • Summary: Norrington transitioned from special effects makeup artist to director, debuting with the low-budget Death Machine (1994), which caught the eye of New Line Cinema for Blade. Blade (1998) was a major box office success that proved R-rated superhero films could work, paving the way for X-Men. Norrington was highly controlling on Blade, leading to cinematographer Theo Van Sand walking off set due to his abusive treatment of the crew.
Casting and Budget Realities
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(00:41:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Sean Connery’s $17 million salary consumed over 20% of the film’s $80 million budget, limiting funds for other established actors.
  • Summary: Sean Connery, known for controversial views on violence against women, was cast as Alan Quartermain for a massive fee, reportedly because he didn’t understand the script but assumed it was profitable. This high cost led to casting lesser-known actors like Stuart Townsend as Dorian Gray, who was also famously fired from Lord of the Rings. Peta Wilson replaced Monica Bellucci as Mina Harker, and Nasarudin Shaw was praised for being the first major Indian actor cast as Nemo since the silent era.
Casting and International Appeal
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(00:53:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Nasarudin Shaw was the first Indian actor cast as Captain Nemo since the silent era, potentially intended to boost international box office appeal alongside stars like Monica Bellucci.
  • Summary: Nasarudin Shaw’s casting as Captain Nemo was a notable first for a major Hollywood production since the silent era, bringing gravitas to the role. The casting strategy may have aimed to strengthen international box office appeal by including big names from other countries. Jason Fleming’s dual performance as Dr. Jekyll was considered perhaps the most successful performance in the film.
Prague Flood Disaster
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(00:55:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Filming in Prague was halted in August 2002 by one of the Czech Republic’s largest floods in history, destroying $7 million in sets, including Nemo’s Nautilus.
  • Summary: Principal photography began in Prague on June 28, 2002, but was severely disrupted in August 2002 by massive floods that caused widespread damage across the Czech Republic. The flood destroyed $7 million worth of sets, delayed shooting by over two weeks, and forced emergency evacuations of cast and crew across Europe. Director Stephen Norrington claimed the studio refused to cover the delay costs, forcing cuts to crucial character development scenes.
Director-Actor Conflict Erupts
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(01:00:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Tensions between Norrington and Sean Connery escalated in Malta when Norrington asked Connery to punch him in the face after a dispute over an elephant gun prop.
  • Summary: The conflict between Norrington and Connery intensified while filming shifted to Malta, leading to Norrington’s infamous request for Connery to punch him, which Connery declined. Jason Fleming confirmed the on-set blow-ups were worse than reported, citing an incident where Connery responded with an unprintable insult after Norrington demanded an 18 million dollar scene be reshot. Connery later stated Norrington was ‘insane’ and that he had to heavily involve himself in editing to salvage the movie.
Critical Reception and Box Office
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(01:06:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite earning back its budget worldwide ($179 million gross), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was an enormous critical bomb, with Roger Ebert comparing its script to pages grabbed after a script was blown away.
  • Summary: An Entertainment Weekly report during filming noted the director’s indecisiveness and the bleak mood on set, with crew members doubting the film would even be finished. The film opened in second place behind Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which Fox had incorrectly assumed would fail. Connery returned to Prague to premiere the film and donated screening proceeds to flood victims, though critics like Ebert gave it one star.
Plagiarism Suit and Career Fallout
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(01:16:43)
  • Key Takeaway: A $100 million lawsuit alleging idea theft, which named Alan Moore, forced Fox to settle out of court, leading Moore to publicly detach from all future film adaptations of his work.
  • Summary: Fox settled a $100 million lawsuit from producer Martin Pohl and screenwriter Larry Cohen, who claimed the film stole their concept, forcing them to retroactively name Alan Moore in the suit as a cover for plagiarism. This experience, coupled with the film’s outcome, caused Alan Moore to vow never to sell rights to projects he could control and to publicly disavow adaptations like V for Vendetta and Watchmen. Sean Connery retired from film shortly after, declining a role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Stephen Norrington stated the experience ‘broke’ him so fundamentally he could never work with studios again.
What Went Right
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(01:21:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The practical and miniature effects teams, particularly those responsible for the Venice set pieces, are credited as a success that held up well over time.
  • Summary: The miniature team received praise for their work, including the one-fifth scale models of Venice buildings used in the Tom Sawyer sequence, which looked great despite requiring complex rigging. The physical and practical effects throughout the film were noted as holding up well after 23 years. Alan Moore’s underlying creative genius was also cited as a ‘what went right,’ as his worlds prove highly adaptable to visual media.