Hercule: why was this film the subject of a call for a boycott?

Released in cinemas in 2014, the film called Hercules, worn by Dwayne JohnsonJohn Hurt, Ian McShaneRufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes and Rebecca Fergusonwill be rebroadcast on Sunday, October 2, 2022, from 9:05 p.m. on TFX. Realized by Brett Ratnerthis feature film is in fact the film adaptation of the graphic novel called Hercules: The Thracian Wars, written by Steve Moore, drawn by Admira Wijaya, and published in the United States by Radical Studios in 2008. The original work itself takes place in a universe freely inspired by Greek mythology, but also by ancient Greece.

With an estimated production budget of $100 million, Hercules collected just over $245 million at the worldwide box office during its theatrical run. A good result, which could however have been better, if the film had not been the subject of a call for a boycott when it was released in the cinema. Indeed, in an interview published on the website Bleeding Cool on July 17, 2014, comic book writer Alan Moore called on readers of the original work to boycott the film. Alan Moore explained that his namesake and co-worker Steve Moore, author of the comic Hercules: The Thracian Wars, from which the film is adapted, was cheated when establishing the publishing contract for his work at Radical Comics. Concretely, he could not touch the slightest copyright on the film adaptation.

Hercules: the author of the original work died before the theatrical release of the film

It is for this reason that Steve Moore wished his name not to be associated with the film, or its promotion, but also because he was very dissatisfied with the alterations made to his story in the script. In fact, his comic is based on extensive historical and mythological documentation, which the film’s script does not take into account. For example, Steve Moore mentions the lover of Hercules (Hylas) in his story, which disappeared in the film’s script. However, Steve Moore died some time after. From then on, promotion of the film began to use his name, in order to take advantage of the renewed interest in the late author. Alan Moore, disgusted by the treatment reserved for his colleague, therefore called for boycott the movie at its output.

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