Kevin Smith Wants to See DC Comics’ The Question Adapted to Live-Action on a Streaming Platform
JB Augustine
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There is no shortage of comics to be adapted for TV or streaming services. And there is also no shortage of character, writer, director, and comic fan Kevin Smith might like to see in his various queues or wishlists.
In a new episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, Smith revealed he would love to see a show in some form centering around DC’s resident conspiracy theorist and investigator, The Question.
When asked what hero he wants to see turned into a Netflix series, Smith said The Question all the way, and wondered why a producer wasn’t ahead of him on that:
“My DC is always The Question. I think that would make such a great series, and there must be a reason why they’re not doing it.”
It could have something to do with The Question’s storied and complex history, which Smith brought up:
“And I know they’ve got some weird ownership issues with the character, because he came through the Charlton deal and they bought them. I don’t know if that included movie rights or something like that or TV rights, but I’ve loved that. I think The Question would be f****** great.”
That all depends, of course, on which incarnation of The Question he is thinking of. For today’s crop of readers, Gotham policewoman Renee Montoya wears the faceless guise of her mentor, Vic Sage.
In the beginning, when the character was created by the late legend Steve Ditko as a not-so-subtle cipher for the artist’s Objectivist ideals, Sage masqueraded as The Question in the pages of his Charlton comic starting in the 1960s. Vic, an investigative journalist, hid his face behind a blank layer of artificial skin and went to any lengths to probe for and weed out corruption.
Charlton’s roster of characters was acquired by DC in the 80s and almost used by Alan Moore for an ambitious story that in the end became Watchmen. The Question had one notable but shortlived ongoing by DC and he showed up sparingly until Montoya took over in The New 52.
Question’s adventures with other DC heroes will be familiar to viewers of Justice League Unlimited so he wouldn’t be a newcomer to television.
Attempts at a live adaptation have been made too, just unsuccessfully. Arrowverse producer Marc Guggenheim expressed his desire to bring one to the small screen:
“I always bring him up. I always feel like that character would be a great fit with the tone of Arrow. Again: it’s not our characters, it’s DC’s characters, and they’ve got other plans for The Question… I don’t know what their plans are, but clearly they do have plans – otherwise we’d be using him.”
No plans are forthcoming right now. A series for streaming could be secretly in the works but it’s more likely to wind up on DC Universe than Netflix or Amazon unless a deal is made.
Smith is a director and worked on episodes of The CW’s Flash and Supergirl so he might be able to get something Question-related moving. He could be waiting to pitch it to Hulu where he’s plying his trade on a Howard the Duck cartoon.
Would you be excited about a live-action Question series? Leave us a comment.
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