"Channel 4 was very interested in doing 'The Filth,'" Morrison told us recently. "We did a big TV series pitch."

But the reason the project stalled had nothing to do with any of the reasons you might think. Sure, "The Filth" has characters who rape and characters with extra breasts. There are porn stars and pornography and allegations of pedophilia and all the sorts of things that a series with that title could warrant -- plus lots of sperm. Giant sperm. Black sperm.

That's not to say that the series isn't also highly intellectual or worthy of adapting -- you could even argue that NBC's current show, "My Own Worst Enemy," owes a debt to "The Filth" for its fracturing of personalities and para-personalities. But back to Channel 4.

"It got all the way to the top," Morrison said. "They were talking cost and special effects and everything, but then it got to a woman who was a commissioner there," who apparently had a high-standing, despite her about to take maternity leave. "She read 'The Filth,' she saw the word 'occult,' and she said, 'We're not doing this,' and threw it out the window," Morrison said.

So it wasn't the filth in "The Filth" that was a concern -- which means it could still happen elsewhere, right? "I think it might actually be a little too strong for an American TV show," Morrison said. "Then again, you've got HBO."

And if Hollywood were interested in revisiting Morrison's original idea, of turning "The Filth" into a movie, he wouldn't mind. "I'd love to see the movie version," Morrison said. "And I'd love Bruce Willis [to be the star]. He'd be great."

Do you think "The Filth" would work better as a TV series or a film? Who do you think should be in it?