The premium cable channel has greenlit a pilot for its adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel from Damon Lindelof and has ordered backup scripts for the project.
- Sep 21, 2017
AceShowbiz - "Watchmen" is another step closer to coming to small screen. HBO has greenlit a pilot for its adaptation of the DC seminal graphic novel by Alan Moore and commissioned additional scripts for the project which is being shepherded by "Lost" and "The Leftovers" co-creator Damon Lindelof.
Lindelof hinted at the pilot order on Tuesday, September 19 by posting on Instagram a picture of what seems to be the "Watchmen" writers room. "Day One," he simply captioned it, meaning that the writers room for the potential TV series has officially been opened.
First published in 1986 and collected in 1987, the limited comic series has its story set in an alternate universe, where the presence of superheroes has altered the course of history. The group called Watchmen encounters a massive and deadly conspiracy while investigating the murder of one of their own. The comic series was named as one of the 100 best novels by Time magazine.
Lindelof has said he's a big fan of the comics and that they influenced his works. "From the flashbacks to the nonlinear storytelling to the deeply flawed heroes, these are all elements that I try to put into everything I write," he shared back in 2009.
Zack Snyder directed a feature film take on the graphic novel which was released in 2009 and starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Jackie Earle Haley. Lindelof's adaptation reportedly will be a completely new and separate iteration.
Should HBO pick up "Watchmen" into a series, it will be the first superhero series on the network. A show based on source material which is both acclaimed and R-rated is something that the network has been familiar with. "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld" are just a few of the examples.
