AWatchmenTV show? That’s what a new rumor claims may be happening at HBO, with original directorZack Snyderin-line to produce this retelling of the popularcomic bookminiseries. Zack Snyder first directed an adaptation ofAlan Moore’s iconic tale in 2009, but it failed to set the box office on fire. Many fans thought it was better suited to a long formstorytellingformat. And that may turn out to be the case.
Even before it went into production, many believedAlan Moore’s seminal DC Comics adventure Watchmen was to unwieldy for the big screen. It is a monster work of interconnecting story lines and referential plot. And even with a runtime of 3 hours, it all couldn’t be contained within the frame work ofZack Snyder’s film. So now he wants to try again. This time, the story will be told in a serialized nature better suited to its attributes.
Sources close toZack Snyderhave informedColliderthat meetings between theBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicedirector and HBO have been ongoing. Besides these preliminary talks, there are no other specific details about the project that can be shared at this time. It’s speculated that a Watchmen TV series could actually be a prequel series that would continue season toseason. Or, it might be a complete re-imagining of the events that take place in the Watchmen movie, which would set it up as an HBO miniseries. There’s also talk that it could be a straight up sequel, which would also allow for more than one season to take place.
If Watchmen moves forward at HBO as a series, it’s possible that it won’t be announced untilproductionis up and running. HBO is notorious for not announcing shows until they are a go, due to unforeseen circumstances that may delay or cancel any given project. For instance,David Fincher’s planned HBO seriesUtopiawas shut down due to the network and creator being unable to reach a budget compromise. In turn, HBO stopped preproduction onDavid Fincher’s half-hour comedy that was being developed simultaneously. And the cable giant also notoriously passed onNoah Baumbach’s star-studded pilot forThe Corrections. Just becauseZack Snyderis involved doesn’t mean a Watchmen TV show will get the automatic green light.
Some believe HBO is eager to jump on the Watchmen train, though, asGame of Throneswill becoming to an end in the next three or four years. And a Watchmen TV show might be the perfect show to produce alongside Warner Bros. under their shared Time Warner parent umbrella.Colliderpoints to the 2012 prequel comic book seriesBefore Watchmenas a perfect jumping off point for a potential series based on the DC Comics property. The series revolved around 8 characters, and offers some background onAlan Moore’s original 12 issue series from 1986. It’s possible thatZack Snyderplans on bringing these same prequel comics to the small screen. If that were the case, fans would get to learn more about Silk Spectre, Comedian, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan.
Some believe HBO and DC are trying to create a relationship similar to the one shared between Netflix and theirMarvel series, which includeMarvel’s Daredevil,Marvel’s Jessica Jones,Marvel’s Luke CageandMarvel’s Iron Fist. It would be on a slightly different level than the current DC TV shows that air on CBS, Fox and The CW, which don’t tie into the movie side of things. Though, at this point, the original Watchmen movie is not considered part of the current DCEU, and it’s unlikely that a TV show would tie into that world either. What do you think? Is a Watchmen TV series a good idea?
