The 2009 film adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen was initially greeted with high hopes and rapid anticipation. Unfortunately, the film premiered to fairly mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box-office, but apparently that hasn’t stopped director Zack Snyder from having interest at giving the property another go. Sources report that Snyder has been meeting with HBO executives to talk about making a Watchmen TV series.
A comic-book miniseries released in 1986, Watchmen is frequently cited as being one of the best-written comic books of all time, and certainly one of the most influential. It ushered in a new age for superhero comic books aimed at older audiences, with it’s mature content, and complex story that centered on timely issues. The 2009 film adaptation, however, was generally seen as a more flawed product. Critics were quick to point out that one of the film’s most detrimental flaws was in how it tried to condense Moore’s book into the running length of a feature film, and it ultimately felt rushed and cluttered. Many detractors toward the film even said they felt it would have worked better as a TV mini-series.
Snyder is a vital force behind Warner Brothers comic book films, as he has directed Watchmen, Man of Steel, and the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite his success with the more marketable Man of Steel, Snyder has been vocal about how he feels his Watchmen film was misunderstood, even going so far to call it the “Anti-Avengers”. With other filmmakers making their move to the television landscape (Steven Soderbergh), Snyder might see this medium as a better fit for the title.
While next to nothing is known about this alleged TV series, it’s easy to speculate that it might involve adaptations from the recently released Before Watchmen. The prequel-comic book series Before Watchmen (which had various writers and artists compose origin stories for the graphic novel’s characters) certainly offers plenty of new material for a TV series to adapt.
Fans should keep in mind though, that they shouldn’t hold their breath about this happening into more information is released. HBO has confirmed that they have talked to Snyder about making this series a reality, but no deals are in place. HBO is also a station known for passing on high-profile titles, most recently with David Fincher’s Utopia, which was shut down after Fincher and the network couldn’t agree on budget. Still, giving the fact that this series would already have a built-in audience, and HBO is likely to want to produce a super-hero series while they are still popular, a Watchmen series might be a good bet.