Regina King Says A ‘Watchmen’ Return Is Highly Unlikely Without Damon Lindelof On Board

Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is a show that’s only become more prescient in today’s America, but its future remains as murky as ever. Despite rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, there hasn’t been much in the way of progress on a second season of the superhero drama. And that includes some less-than committed statements from one of the show’s stars.

Variety reported Tuesday that Regina King, who stared as Angela Abar in all nine episode of the 2019 miniseries, isn’t sure if there will be a second season of the show. Appearing in the magazine’s Actors On Actors issue with Reese Witherspoon (herself the star of an HBO series with an uncertain future), King said it’s basically up to showrunner Damon Lindelof.

“I don’t know,” King told Witherspoon when asked about more episodes. “Honestly, I feel like I think HBO would want it back in a heartbeat, but if [showrunner] Damon Lindelof doesn’t see an entry point for Season 2, I think that the possibilities are infinite. But I feel that if Damon doesn’t see it, then it’s going to be a no for me.”

Relying on Lindelof for more Watchmen, however, isn’t great news for anyone who wants to see more of the show as soon as possible. He’s already admitted he’s skeptical about whether a second season that can build on the stunning one that’s already aired, calling the door “barely ajar” for more another go-round.

“I never wanna close the door completely because if two, three years from now I say, I just had another idea, it will be that much harder to open. But I would say it’s barely ajar. I think that there are no current plans to make any more Watchmen. If the idea comes, I would be enthusiastic about it, the idea may not come from me. I would be super excited about it coming from someone else. So my position hasn’t changed,” Lindelof told Deadline back in February at the WGAW Awards.

Those are not exactly exciting signs if you want more of the show, but in a way it’s good that King has verbally committed to staying involved if Lindelof came up with a way forward. It’s unclear if HBO would try to make more without him, but King strongly implies here that she’s only in if he’s in, too, which complicates it even further.

Either way, we’ll always have Lube Man.