Posted in: HBO, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: Alan Moore, bleeding cool, cable, comic books, Comics, damon lindelof, David Gibbons, dc, dc comics, don johnson, dr manhattan, HBO, jeremy irons, Looking Glass, lost, night owl, Ozymandias, Regina King, remix, rorschach, silk sapphire, streaming, television, tim blake nelson, tv, Watchmen
"Watchmen": HBO/Damon Lindelof "Remix" Wraps Filming; Debuting This Fall? [UPDATE]
After weeks of vague, brief teases followed by lengthier-yet-still-head-scratching teases for Damon Lindelof's fully, completely, 106.3% authorized "remix" of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' 1986 comic book series Watchmen for HBO, it appears filming on the upcoming limited series officially wrapped this week. While the cable giant hasn't officially confirmed the news, set costumer Mandy L. Fason and make-up/hair stylist Philonese West were able to give us some updates via their Instagram posts.
Apparently, the Watchmen "remix" pilot was filmed in mid-2018, with the pilot picked up for series in August 2018 and production commencing two months later – with filming taking close to 8 months. Two other eyeball-grabbers from the following Instagram posts: West refers to the series as "The Watchmen" (though that might be a reference a group's name from the series that might not be who we would assume them to be); and references the series "Coming to HBO This Fall."
Could we be looking at a mid-October to mid-November debut? Hmmm…
https://www.instagram.com/p/By42I6FAuy-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/By41BhGgCEF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Set in an alternate history where "superheroes" are treated as outlaws, the series is said to embrace the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.
HBO's Watchmen stars Regina King as Angela Abraham, Don Johnson as Chief Judd Crawford, Tim Blake Nelson as Looking Glass, Louis Gossett Jr. as Old Man, Adelaide Clemens as Pirate Jenny, Andrew Howard as Red Scare, Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias, Frances Fisher as Jane Crawford, Jacob Ming-Trent as Panda, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Cal Abraham, Adelynn Spoon as Emma Abar, and Jean Smart as Agent Blake – as well as Tom Mison, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, and Lily Rose Smith. Joining the series in recurring roles are James Wolk as Senator Keane, Hong Chau as Lady T., and Dustin Ingram as Agent Petey.
Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are on board to compose music for the series.
In May 2018, Lindelof shared a series of Instagram posts to update fans on progress on the project (with a pilot directed by Westworld and Castle Rock's Nicole Kassell) and to emphasize that his vision was not a direct adaptation of the original graphic novel, but rather a "remix" that utilizes important elements from the original story while telling its own narrative. Here are some excerpts from those posts:
"We have no desire to 'adapt' the twelve issues Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons created thirty years ago. Those issues are sacred ground and will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted.
They will however be remixed, Because the bass lines in those familiar tracks are just too good and we'd be fools not to sample them. Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament. When the New Testament came along it did not erase what came before it. Creation. The Garden of Eden. Abraham and Isaac. The Flood. It all happened. And so it will be with 'Watchmen.' The Comedian died. Dan and Laurie fell in love. Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan left it just after blowing Rorschach to pieces in the bitter cold of Antarctica."
"This story will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built…but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, it must be contemporary. The Old Testament was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachev. Ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless. And speaking of Horsemen, The End of the World is off the table…which means the heroes and villains–as if the two are distinguishable–are playing for different stakes entirely."
"Some of the characters will be unknown. New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising yet familiar set of eyes…and it is here we will be taking our greatest risks…"