- Watchmen show creator, Damon Lindelof,
has words for Alan Moore.
"(bleep) you, I'm doing it anyway."
The Watchmen has long since been considered one of,
if not the greatest superhero comic of all time,
ever since it's publication in 1986.
The alternate view of '80s America brought to life
by writer, Alan Moore, and artist, Dave Gibbons,
has been endlessly reprinted and loved by both comics fans
and critics, it's subversion of comic book tropes,
along with its commentary on society and superheroes
has made it arguably one of the seminal works in the medium.
So it's no surprise that there have been multiple attempts
to adapt this work on both the big and small screen.
The most notable being Zack Snyder's 2009 film,
which was a mixed bag, to say the least.
While many praised its visuals and tone,
the changes to the story, specifically the big finale,
as well as the sterile emotion of the film,
left a sour taste in the mouths of some fans and moviegoers.
But now, the graphic novel has found a new home
on the small screen, care of HBO, and the mind
behind both Lost and The Leftovers, Damon Lindelof.
And while Lindelof himself can be divisive for some,
his recent work on The Leftovers has earned him
renewed street cred with the fans.
So with him being the creative force
behind this new version of Watchmen,
devotees of the book are waiting to see
if this is the adaptation of the story they've always
wanted to see on screen.
However, there is one person who is decidedly not onboard
for this version of the Watchmen,
and that person is, of course, Alan Moore.
If you are unfamiliar with the bearded, ceremonial magician
and British writer, Alan Moore is a notoriously
prickly character when it comes to his works being adapted.
He typically never wants his name attached,
and based on how the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie
ended up, who can blame him?
So it's no surprise he's been disgruntled
about his past works getting the screen treatment,
but considering the hallmark status of Watchmen,
this remix-sequelized take has him particularly upset.
So when the cast and crew for Watchmen took to a Q & A
for the Television Critics Association this week,
you better believe
that the Alan Moore of it all was addressed.
Casey Bloys, president of programming at HBO,
said Moore is, "not thrilled," with the prospect
of another creative team taking over the Watchmen
and adding to it, which of course, is the understatement
of the year!
And if you were hoping that the stellar looking trailers
for the series might have changed his mind,
Bloys said, "I think that remains the case.
"That he's not thrilled."
Well, that probably means they're not going
to get a snappy pulled quote from Moore
for the season one DVD cover.
And he wasn't the only one to weigh in on it.
Series creator and writer, Damon Lindelof,
struggles with this rejection from Papa Moore, saying,
"I don't think I've made peace with it.
"I have made personal overtures to connect with him
"to explain what I'm doing,
"and he's made it clear he doesn't want that."
However, Lindelof isn't stopping this
from letting him tell the story he wants to tell.
"I went through a very intensive period of terror
"of (bleep) it up, and I'm not entirely sure
"I'm out of that tunnel.
"If I was too reverent, then I wouldn't be able
"to do anything that was risky."
But what had turned the most heads
was when Lindelof said he was tapping
into Moore's punk rock spirit while making this series.
"I'm channeling the spirit of Alan Moore
"to say (bleep) you, I'm doing it anyway."
We suppose if anything is going to get Alan Moore
to begrudgingly respect you, it's gotta be telling him
to go (bleep) himself, right (laughs), who knows?
All in all, this seems to fit in with some new information
that was learned about the series at the TCA Q & A.
While this show has been described in the past
as more of a remix than a remake or a sequel,
Lindelof isn't looking to change the story of the comics,
saying, "We are not going to mess with it, it's canon,"
which should hopefully make fans breathe a little easier.
While the show takes place in 2019,
it will be a much different 2019 than we know.
To start, there will be no internet, smart phones,
or social media.
Lindelof said, "It is not supposed to be a world
"that you recognize.
"What is actual history and what is alt-history
"and things start to get blended in the middle."
Since Watchmen tackles its share of themes
that were relevant during its publication,
the Cold War, Nixon, nuclear proliferation, et cetera,
this Watchmen will evolve those themes
into its vision of 2019.
While it is mentioned at the end of the comics
that actor Robert Redford is considering a presidential run,
the series supposes that Redford has been president
since 1992, because Lindelof wanted to see,
"What would happen if a well-intentioned liberal white man
"was a president for too long."
Lindelof also shared some insight into the historical themes
of Watchmen, as well as adding similar themes to his series.
"Watchmen was about what was happening in American culture
"at the time, even though presented by two British artists.
"What in 2019 is the equivalent of the nuclear standoff
"between the Americans and the Russians?
"It felt is was undeniably race and policing in America."
He then explained the motivation for creating
the white supremacist terrorist cult
that venerates Rorschach
and attacks the police in the show, saying,
"There are no easy answers.
"There are no grandiose solutions.
"In a traditional superhero movie,
"the bad guys are fighting aliens.
"When they beat the aliens, the aliens go back
"to their planet and everybody wins.
"There's no defeating white supremacy.
"It felt like a pretty formidable foe."
Which honestly sounds like a sentiment Moore himself
could get behind.
So it's really starting to feel like this remix-sequel
to Watchmen is getting ready to be just as heavy,
layered, gritty, and downright weird
as the original comic is.
And it'll be interesting to see how Lindelof
tackles all of this.
We'll found out how enjoyable it is
once Watchmen premieres on HBO this October.
But what do you folks think?
Are you ready for this sequel to Watchmen,
or are you like Alan Moore and want it to be left alone?
And how many times do you think we will see
who watches the Watchmen in a headline
when the ratings come out, let's discuss.
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