HBO Gives Series Order To Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen Series

Aug 18, 20180783

HBO has given a straight to series order for Damon Lindelof’s adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic graphic novel. Production on the pilot episode has already been completed, and HBO executives are fully onboard with what Lindelof is putting together.

I have a lot of love for the graphic novel, and there’s a great movie somewhere in Zack Snyder’s adaptation (the director’s cut is my favourite). An HBO series for Watchmen is a dream come true, but it comes with the caveat of Lindelof’s involvement. For every Star Trek, there’s a Lost, for every Leftovers, there’s a Prometheus. I don’t know of that many writer/producers that systematically cancels out the good stuff with deeply questionable material. HBO has high standards, so it’s safe to assume that Lindelof has turned in something that has got them excited.

Speaking about the forthcoming series, here’s what Lindelof had to say.

“This story will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built…but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, it must be contemporary. The Old Testament was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachev. Ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless. And speaking of Horsemen, The End of the World is off the table…which means the heroes and villains–as if the two are distinguishable–are playing for different stakes entirely […] Some of the characters will be unknown. New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising yet familiar set of eyes…and it is here we will be taking our greatest risks.”

Here’s the official logline from HBO via Deadline.

Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, “Watchmen” embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.

Starring Tom Mison, Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith, Adelynn Spoon, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Louis Gossett Jr, and Frances Fisher. Watchmen will launch on HBO sometime next year, here’s the official Tweet announcement.