Zoe Saldana and Jeffrey Dean Morgan Are Two of "The Losers"

In 2009, "Watchmen," a DC Comics limited series that has been called the greatest graphic novel of all time, finally arrived on the big screen. One year later, "The Losers," another film based on a popular graphic novel, is ready to explode in multiplexes across the country on Friday, April 23.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: From "Watchmen" to "The Losers"

Created by writer Andy Diggle with artwork by Jock, "The Losers" was released by Vertigo, the special DC Comics line of edgy, sometimes ultra-violent comics. The plot focuses on an American Special Forces Team that runs afoul of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now a target of the CIA, the Losers now use all their skills to defend themselves.

On April 4, 2010, director Sylvain White and the main cast talked with the press at WonderCon in San Francisco. Last seen as the Comedian in "Watchmen," Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays Clay in "The Losers." "As actors, you get all these scripts, and what's great about the world of comic books is that the stories are original. There's this kind of ebb and flow in Hollywood and you get the same scripts over and over," Morgan said. "Every romantic comedy reads exactly the same. In the world of graphic novels, there's some originality there. There are some great characters."

"It was an absolute delight to be here among my peers..."

Director Sylvain White echoed Morgan's sentiments, saying that he has been a graphic novel fan since he was a kid. "It was an absolute delight to be here among my peers (at WonderCon) to present what I've done with a graphic novel like 'The Losers.' Graphic novels are rebooting Hollywood, giving them more original stories," White said.

When making the film adaptation of "The Losers," White said he focused on two things that worked extremely well in the graphic novel. "The first thing is the tone. The graphic novel has a very unique tone, combining gritty, visceral action with a really strong humoristic tone. The characters are really fun to navigate the action with," he said. "The second thing is, aesthetically, the graphic novel is amazing. I really wanted to replicate that in the movie."

"People would have ripped us a new one..."

Die-hard graphic novel fans expect film adaptations to be virtual clones of the original material, which makes it especially hard on the actors. "With 'Watchmen,' that was so iconic, that needed to be so close to the comic book or people would have ripped us a new one. With this ('The Losers'), it was a great foundation," Morgan said. "It really gives you a good place to start and jump off. Sylvain allowed us as actors to take what we gathered out of those graphic novels and bring to life what we got of those particular characters and their relationships."

Zoe Saldana moves from "Avatar" to "The Losers"

As an actress, 2009 was an incredible year for Zoe Saldana, with key roles in both the reboot of "Star Trek" and the groundbreaking "Avatar." Just a few months into 2010, she's at WonderCon talking about her role in "The Losers." "It is overwhelming and you do feel very blessed. At the same time, I like what I do, being employed and living off of my art. It's an absolute privilege to work with amazing directors and great actors and play really good roles. You really just want to give it 150%--and you pray to God that the movie makes 400 million dollars," Saldana said, laughing.

"The Losers," Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language, opens in theaters on Friday, April 23.

Resources:

http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/graphic_novels/?gn=1687