HBO has given 'Watchmen' the green light and officially ordered the comic-book adaptation to series.
The seminal comic-book, which first hit shelves in 1986, was adapted by 'Justice League' helmer Zack Snyder in 2009 and was... pretty divisive, to say the least. Since then, a HBO series had been discussed and Damon Lindelof, formerly of 'The Leftovers' and 'Lost', was brought in as showrunner and writer to see it done and as of today, a full first season is underway.
The original comic-book and Snyder's adaptation was set in an alternate 1985 where superheroes existed, but had been forcibly retired - all except for two - by the government. Doctor Manhattan was the only superhero as such to possess powers, but was essentially a living weapon of mass destruction and a nuclear deterrent against Soviet aggression, whereas The Comedian was a hired assassin who murdered JFK, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward at the behest of Richard Nixon.
Lindelof penned an open letter two months ago, explaining why his version is more of a sequel than anything else, saying that the events that took place in the comic-book are "canon" in his story. The cast list for 'Watchmen' is pretty incredible - Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Louis Gossett Jr., Tim Blake Nelson and more are due to be announced in the coming months, however no release date has been confirmed as of yet.
With 'Game Of Thrones' headed for its final season and 'Westworld' arguably failing to connect with audiences in the same way, HBO is keen to try and find a new bumper hit in the same way. Could 'Watchmen' be it?
The series is expected to begin airing in 2019.
