Lost’s Damon Lindelof Developing ‘Watchmen’ TV Series For HBO
With ‘The Leftovers’ coming to a close recently on HBO, that’s left show creator Damon Lindelof at a bit of a loose end. However, HBO are already in early talks to keep him at the network with an epic new comic book adaptation – ‘Watchmen’.
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons critically acclaimed, seminal graphic novel is set in an alternate reality where the arrival of costumed heroes have altered history, changing events like the Vietnam War and Nixon’s presidency. The story is set in the 1980’s, at a time when heroes have been mostly outlawed, except a few who are sanctioned by the government. Doctor Manhattan, the only hero with actual superpowers (rather than just a natty mask/cape combo), has given the US a massive advantage over the USSR. Unfortunately, that has only managed to raise tensions between the two superpowers… Meanwhile, someone has started to bump off ex-heroes, leading vigilante Rorschach to investigate and contact his old teammates. What they uncover is a conspiracy which could change the world as they know it.
Based on characters from Charlton Comics, which was acquired by DC, various characters from ‘Watchmen’ have recently been officially folded into the wider DC Comics Universe, as a major part of their ‘Rebirth’ reboot.
This isn’t the first time ‘Watchmen’ has been brought to the screen either. Zack Snyder did a reasonable job, given his time restraints, bringing a movie version in 2009. However, many fans always thought it the novel would be much better suited to the longer form of a tv series format. Given the content, it really had to be a cable network (or streaming service) to be the ones to do it, so HBO is a natural fit for the property.
Lindelof is an interesting choice to helm the project too. ‘The Leftovers’ has been lauded with critical acclaim, so you can see why HBO would be keen to keep him around.
Talks are apparently in the very very early stages right now, but a ‘Watchmen’ tv series is definitely something we will be keeping an eye on!
