After a brief glimpse of the series in a trailer for HBO’s upcoming slate, we’re finally getting our first extended look at Watchmen.
I’m pretty hyped for this. I know people are skeptical of anything that seems to be exploiting the original comic (I haven’t read any of the Before Watchmen series, but I’ve heard mixed things), but it’s an interesting world. The series seems to take place years later and explores how the end of the comic would affect the world. That’s definitely intriguing. I’m interested in the apparent ubiquity of masks in this world. It looks like the police force hide their identities behind yellow masks, which will hopefully lead to a lot of exploration of the original question of the comic: “Who watches the watchmen?”
The trailer doesn’t give away many details, but it sets an appropriately ominous tone. The ticking clock motif is spot-on with the original series and makes for a good trailer. Other links to the comic include what looks to be a movement or a cell of Rorschach devotees. One of the biggest and most interesting connections to the original series is Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. We get a brief glimpse of him here, but it’s some damn good casting.
Speaking of casting, the star of the trailer is Don Johnson. He’s done some great work in recent years in Cold in July, Django Unchained, and Brawl in Cell Block 99, but it’ll be nice to see him in an ongoing series again. We barely get a look at her in this trailer, but recent Oscar winner Regina King is one of the leads of the show. She’s fantastic in everything, and I expect that trend to continue. The cast also includes Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett Jr., Frances Fisher, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The creator and showrunner of Watchmen is Damon Lindelof. He’s a controversial figure with fickle fans, but I love the guy. Anyone who created Lost and The Leftovers, two of the greatest TV shows of all time, is okay in my books. It definitely doesn’t hurt that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are scoring the series.
Watchmen is based on the comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It premieres on HBO this fall.