HBO Reconsiders ‘Watchmen’ TV Series With Damon Lindelof Instead of Zack Snyder
Fans of the Watchmen series now have hope once again that there will be a television adaption of the 1980s graphic novel by DC Comics. HBO is reportedly talking with co-creator of Lost and more recently director of HBOs series The Leftovers,‘ Damon Lindelof about creating a Watchmen TV series – nearly two years after the network originally brought up the idea with Zack Snyder, who directed the 2009 Warner Bros. film.
Discussions with Snyder in 2015 eventually fell through and nothing came of the prospect – but Lindelof is a lifelong fan of the series, so we may finally see a Watchmen TV series after all this time.
Lindelof first read the Watchmen graphic novel when he was a kid in the 1980s, around the same time it was first released. He even admits that the series influences all of his creative works in more ways than one – with flashback sequences, non-linear timelines and flawed heroes (which for many causes an odd love-hate relationship with protagonists) to name a few.
When Snyder’s version of Watchmen hit theaters in 2009 he even spoke highly of the film, calling it the “most married-to-the-original-text version of Watchmen that could have been made”. His enthusiasm for the series should be an indicator that he is likely on-board for this as soon as HBO is ready to make things official.
When HBO was talking with Zack Snyder the idea had been for the TV version of Watchmen to line up with the movie he had already directed. With Snyder no longer on board the new television series would be completely separate and share no connection to the movie made almost a decade ago.
It is unclear whether Damon Lindelof would re-tell the story of the graphic novel that was portrayed in the movie, where the Watchmen investigate the murder of one of their comrades by the name of The Comedian, or whether it would start off with stories of the imperfect heroes and what may have led up to the events depicted in the original story.
The 2009 movie only grossed $185 million world wide at the box offices and received mixed reviews from both fans and critics – but this was also before the rise of super hero movies and TV shows based on stories from the DC Comics and Marvel universes. Since then there have been numerous movies (DC movies like Man of Steel, Batman VS Superman and Suicide Squad to name a few), and television shows (Gotham, Agents of Shield, Arrow, Supergirl, etc.) – so a Watchmen series might be just what HBO needs to break into this market of TV and movie viewers.
Since this is still in the development and discussion stage of things there is a chance that it may never take off – and just like last time fans hoping to see more of Watchmen come to life would end up disappointed. However, there is a lot of potential here – not only to retell the story told in the original Watchmen graphic novel and the 2009 movie adaption, but also to dive deeper into the mysterious heroes of this universe. With a lifelong fan like Lindelof at the helm, the potential is nearly endless.
Would you be interested in seeing a Watchmen TV series? Do you think this is a good move for HBO and is Damon Lindelof the right person to direct a Watchmen show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
[Featured Image by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images]
