After months of speculation, it was finally confirmed in September that the HBOWatchmenTV series is finally happening, with the cable network issuing apilot order. Damon Lindelof is writing the pilot script and serving as an executive producer. Nothing has been revealed since the pilot order was issued in September, but Damon Lindelof recently spoke about the project for the first time publicly at Vulture Fest, where he was asked why he was following up his hit seriesThe Leftoverswith this comic book adaptation. Here’s what he had to say below.
“Watchmenwas dangerous. The reason I’m doing this is because these are dangerous times and we need dangerous shows. What we think about superheroes is wrong. I’m all for Wonder Woman and Batman. I grew up on these characters. I love these characters. But we should not trust people who put on masks and say they are looking out for us. If you hide your face you are up to no good.”
We first heard of aWatchmen TV showway back in 2015, when originalWatchmenmovie director Zack Snyder was meeting with HBO to discuss the possibility of making aWatchmenTV series but no deals were finalized at that time. We didn’t hear about this potential project for nearly two years, when it was first reported thatDamon Lindelof was in talks for this Watchmen series. Still, there was no guarantee that this show would happen, with Damon Lindelof revealing during a late July interview that nothing was set in stone yet, although he added that he was thinking aboutWatchmena lot.
Just a day before HBO confirmed theWatchmenpilot order,Damon Lindelof sent out a photothat features an importantWatchmenstatue, with a cryptic message that just stated, “Day One.” The statue was one that, in the comics, was given to the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason in 1962, during his retirement ceremony. That same statue was later used, more than 20 years later, to kill Hollis. A gang called the Knot Tops thought he helped Silk Spectre break Rorshach out of jail, so the ended his life, although they got the wrong man. It was actually the second Nite Owl, Dan Dreiberg. The photo in question also showed a conference table, which may have been used for a reading of Damon Lindelof’s pilot script.
No cast members have been announced for thisWatchmen TV seriesat this time, and it hasn’t been revealed when production may begin, or when HBO may be eyeing the show for release. Given the iconic status of the original graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, which was the only graphic novel included on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 best novels published in the English language since 1923, it’s safe to say fans are ultimately excited. This report from Vulture Fest comes fromIndie Wire, and hopefully we’ll have more on thisWatchmenseries soon.
