In an alternate universe, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's Locke & Key is on its third season of television right now. Unfortunately, we don't live in that universe; in this one, Fox passed on Locke & Key after producing a pilot that only aired for a select few Comic-Con attendees (and some other web-savvy fans).

But the Locke family's days in live-action aren't necessarily numbered: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are working on bringing a Locke & Key film trilogy to life at Universal Pictures. But even getting that project off the ground is proving to be a bit of a feat.

"It's been snared in an endless series of contractual negotiations. Universal took a long, long time to come through with an acceptable contract for myself and IDW," Hill told MTV News about the upcoming Locke & Key movies. "Now they're dealing with a bureaucracy as labyrinthine and implacable as their own: Fox TV. Uni wants to avoid spending $25 million on a movie, and then have FOX steal their thunder by releasing a three-year-old pilot."

"Fox wants to see some coin on all the money they sank into the pilot in the first place," he continued. "The lawyers all have to validate their salaries. That said, Alex and Bob are the two most tenacious people I've ever met, and if anyone can see 'Locke & Key' through the contractual maze, and on into production, it's them."

Hill is as excited as anyone to see a Locke & Key movie come to life. But like many of his fans, he wishes we lived in that world where Locke & Key just enjoyed a rollicking third season premiere.

"Of course all this could've been avoided if Fox had just made the series," he said. "I know I'm biased, but I kinda think they bet on the wrong ponies that season."