Watchmen/Hellboy Producer Llyod Levin Tackles Terry Moore's Echo

Lloyd Levin has been the prime mover on more than a few big comic book adaptations; the two Hellboy films and Watchmen are big marks on his resume. Now, according to Variety, he's taken the screen rights to Echo, a comic book series by Strangers in Paradise creator Terry Moore. The series, which began in March of 2008 and has run twelve issues so far, follows Julie Martin, a photographer who witnesses a military exercise gone wrong and subsequently is involved with atomic powers and a secret military power suit.

I tuned out of Strangers in Paradise a long time ago, but Moore's work definitely has qualities that differentiate it from everything else on the market. Besides his adherence to black and white work (when doing his own stories) Moore is known for creating strong, unique female characters. That makes Echo an interesting option for a film adaptation, as Julie Martin is a woman with a lot of normal problems that are made intense by her involvement with the military. (No surprise that Moore has done some writing on Spider-Man, as he's got sensibilities reminiscent of the Stan Lee impulse from Marvel's early days.) Levin also has a real character-driven angle; just look at Hellboy and Watchmen for examples. He's also got The Rocketeer, Mystery Men, Boogie Nights and Tomb Raider on his list — all efforts that at least attempt to put character in the prime position.

Last year, Moore told RevolutionSF that he envisioned the first 18-issue series of Echo as the story's first season. "I see this as season one of my Echo TV series. Each issue is an episode. By the end of the first season Echo will have completed a major arc. If we come back for more, I have plenty of places to go with it." That being the case, a screen adaptation should be something that doesn't have to eviscerate the comic storyline.