June 14, 2010 19:50

Gorillaz ditch opera project with 'Watchman''s Alan Moore

The comic book writer admits 'it didn't work out'

Gorillaz' planned opera with Watchmen and V For Vendetta creator Alan Moore has been ditched.

According to io9.com, Moore has revealed he is no longer working with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett on the project, which was set to be about the 16th century mathematician and astronomer Dr John Dee.

"I should dash cold water on anybody's dreams of this Doctor Dee opera with Damon Albarn and Gorillaz," he said, speaking at the Magus Conference in Northampton. "It didn't work out, shall we say."

Going on to explain he had already "wrote a third of it", the writer added that "nobody had done anything else upon the opera" and that other commitments from both parties had decided the fate of the collaboration.

"I had too many commitments as well," Moore admitted. "And since I had never received any money or a contract, I was alright saying, 'Yeah, I'm pulling out of this. You can do your own opera about Dr Dee, I don't own Dr Dee, I don't own the concept of opera'."

As previously reported, Damon Albarn had been researching hermetic magic and philosophy in preparation for the collaboration.

It is unclear whether Albarn and Hewlett will continue to go ahead with the project.