- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Watchmen is indeed heading to HBO.
Damon Lindelof‘s new spin on the classic graphic novel, all-but-guaranteed a slot on the network’s roster after a pilot order in 2017, has received a series order with a 2019 premiere in mind.
The drama comes to the pay cabler by way of Lindelof’s White Rabbit banner in association with Warner Bros. Television and is, of course, based on the characters from the DC Comics property. But the series will not be a straight adaption of Alan Moore’s graphic novel, previously translated for film by Zack Snyder. Instead, Lindelof has dubbed his version a “remix” of the original material, though many of the characters remain intact.
Related Stories
Lindelof’s lengthy cast includes Regina King, who starred in the second season of the previous HBO drama Leftovers; Jeremy Irons; Don Johnson; Tim Blake Nelson; Louis Gossett Jr.; and a host of others.
Watchmen’s series order comes as HBO is aggressively adding to its dramatic and genre outings as it looks to a future with a new corporate parent in AT&T and without its flagship, Game of Thrones. J.J. Abrams’ Demimonde, Jordan Peele and Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country, Joss Whedon’s The Nevers and Zendaya starrer Euphoria are some of the projects to receive series orders in recent months.
The pay cabler released a logline with the following description: “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.”
Lindelof explained his decision to go in a new direction with the project in May in an open letter to fans, one that addressed Moore’s famous distaste for other people taking liberties with his work.
“First and foremost, if you are angry that I’m working on Watchmen, I am sorry,” he writes at one point in the letter, which explains both his history with the comic book series and his ambivalence in bringing it to the small screen. “I have an immense amount of respect for Alan Moore. He is an extraordinary talent of mythic proportion. I wrote him a letter, parts of which are not dissimilar to this one, because I owed him an explanation as to why I’m defying his wishes [in working on the series].”
Lindelof ranks as executive producer and writer on the project, with pilot director Nicole Kassell joining him as EP alongside Tom Spezialy, Stephen Williams and Joseph Iberti. Lindelof is repped by CAA.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day