It might be odd to realize that while HBO currently slays ratings with dragons and killer robots, the cable premium network hasn’t really been part of the superhero game yet. That will all change with Watchmen from creator Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), who brings us HBO’s first superhero-associated series that’s a modern-day reimagining of Alan Moore’s acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel filled with masked vigilantes. And this teaser definitely does the deed without revealing too much. Lots of vigilantism. And lots of masks!
In other words, there’s a lot of ominous, tick-tock hype-making at work instead of digging into characters who would include Rorsharch, Ozymandias, The Comedian, Silk Spectre, and Doctor Manhattan. Moore’s work was, of course, also the subject of a 2009 Zack Snyder-directed movie that was less than critically acclaimed, but it remains to be seen whether this TV series will explicitly acknowledge that the Warner Bros film happened. For his part, Lindelof previously stated that he didn’t intend to “adapt” Moore’s graphic novel as Snyder did but “remix” it. The series’ brief synopsis keeps on teasing:
Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, this drama series from executive producer Damon Lindelof embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own.
Watchmen will star Regina King, Don Johnson, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Louis Gossett Jr. and is due to arrive in Fall 2019.