The brothers behind hit film The Matrix could soon transform the work of a Brighton duo into another movie blockbuster.

Artist David Lloyd and publisher Dez Skinn were responsible for creating cult Eighties comic strip V For Vendetta.

Film makers AOL Time Warner have bought the rights to make a film of the comic, which tells the story of a vigilante fighting against a fascist regime.

Andy and Larry Wachowski, who created and directed The Matrix, have already written a screenplay.

But the project was put on hold when The Matrix became an unexpected smash hit, prompting the sequel, The Matrix: Reloaded.

David, of Portland Place, said: "Seeing V For Vendetta made into a film would be fantastic. The Wachowski brothers wrote two scripts, the second very impressive.

"If The Matrix had not been so successful, it would probably have been made already."

V For Vendetta was created in 1981 for a comic called Warrior, edited by Dez, of Ditchling Road.

David drew the strip and it was written by Alan Moore, who later wrote From Hell, which was made into a film starring Johnny Depp.

It ran in Warrior for two years before being bought by DC Comics, the company behind Superman and Batman.

It was published in its own comic for ten issues before being made into a graphic novel, which is still on sale today.

Described as a cross between Batman and 1984, the strip tells the story of a masked anarchist called V, who fights against a ruthless Government. V's identity is never revealed.

Although he did not write the comic, Dez developed the idea for the story and came up with the title.

AOL Time Warner retains the rights to the film, meaning David receives ten per cent of the money it pays every year to DC.

Dez receives ten per cent of David's cash and they would receive the same percentages of film royalties. But despite the financial rewards a film deal would bring, the simple comic book will always be David's greatest passion.

He said: "The true value of V For Vendetta for me lies in its current form. I don't lie awake at night wondering if or when a film is going to happen."