Posted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: lanterns, Watchmen

After Lanterns, DC Studios Should Revisit Lindelof's Watchmen Universe

The signs are all there, people. It's time to revisit Lindelof's Emmy Award-winning, Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-starring Watchmen.

For the record, we tried. But with Damon Lindelof being one of the masterminds behind DC Studios' Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler-starring Lanterns, and with Lanterns premiering tonight to strong early reviews, we have to revisit one of our favorite topics to beat to death. Yup, we're talking about James Gunn and Damon Lindelof reopening the doors to the universe of HBO's Emmy Award-winning, Regina King & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-starring Watchmen.

Lindelof's pseudo-sequel spinoff-remix of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins' comic book classic spoke with its own voice while echoing many of the themes laid out in the original work (while even daring to flesh out aspects of the original series). The series would go on to win 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Best Limited Series, Best Actress for a Limited Series for King, and Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for Abdul-Mateen II – the most for any show in 2020. Why wouldn't HBO and DC Studios want to revisit that magic?

During a sit-down with Deadline Hollywood's Dominic Patten from 2022, Lindelof readily admitted that he would be a hypocrite if he took issue with someone else coming in to play in his series' creative sandbox. "It would also be completely and utterly lacking in self-awareness for me to say that nobody should continue this story because Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Alan more than Dave, certainly didn't want that original story continued, and I went along and did it anyway." In fact, Lindelof would go on to say that he sees the "Watchmen" universe as being "much more expansive than anybody gives it credit for," affording it the opportunity to have other storytellers come in to spin their tales. "I do think that the world is much more expansive than anybody gives it credit for. I would not decry or be insulted by a further exploration," Lindelof explained. "In fact, I'd be quite curious about future iterations of 'Watchmen' moving forward."

In December 2024, Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz broached the subject with Gunn during a discussion regarding how DC's "Elseworlds" allows creators to explore characters that fans know and love in new and interesting ways – with Gunn noting that it was that very creative philosophy that led to Watchmen. Horowitz followed up by asking Gunn if DC Studios had any plans for the comics classic: "Would you go back and do anything more with 'Watchmen'?" After a pause and some beard rubbing, Gunn responded, "Ahhh… I don't know. You know. I really like, you know… [pause] I… I… I really respect Alan Moore, I'll say. You know? I really respect him. And, um… and so… um… you know… but… that's it. I did love the TV show,' with Horowitz agreeing.

In June 2025, the limited series's fear of a future where masked law enforcement go unidentified and unchecked as they use and abuse the U.S Constitution became a reality. President Donald Trump chose to ignore the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and several LAPD officials and sent National Guard troops onto the streets of Los Angeles, exacerbating an already volatile situation in a small part of the city. Lindelof checked in on social media to make it painfully clear that this was not the plan for Season 2 and to note how the show's universe and the current state of affairs are bleeding into one another. "First the Secretary of Education is unaware of what happened to Tulsa in 1921. Now, masked cops. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FICTION Y'ALL!!!!" Lindelof wrote as the caption to his Instagram post (similar to what he shared on Instagram Stories, which you can check out above). Lindelof was also referencing Department of Education Irony, Linda "WWE" McMahon not knowing about the race-based massacre of innocent Black men, women, and children, by white mobs in 1921.

HBO's Watchmen: What We Would Like to See…

That brings us to the here and now, with Lindelof a major player in DC Studios and Lanterns hitting screens tonight. If there were ever a time to at least consider a return to the show's universe via "Elseworlds," now would be it. Lindelof could serve as an overarching executive producer for "Watchmen," enabling him to bring in and mentor a new generation of diverse writers and directors who could offer their own tales. Previously, we shared five storylines that we would like to see in play. The one ground rule we set was to take a season that looks back at the Minutemen as well as one that focuses on the "next-gen" of masked vigilantes off the table, both for the same reason: too obvious. Who wouldn't want to learn more about Will Reeves, aka Hooded Justice (Jovan Adepo), Chris "Topher" Abar (Dylan Schombing), and Agent Petey, aka Lube Man (Dustin Ingram)?

"Big Squid" Island: We'd like to see what exactly played out on the island as Adrian's squid "atomic bomb" was being made. We could start with the six we know as the focus, meaning we'd need a line-up including writer Max Shea as well as painter Hira Manish, architect Norman Leith, sci-fi writer James Trafford March, composer Linette Paley, and eugenics specialist Dr. Whittaker Furnesse. Watching their dramas play out with the foreknowledge of where it's all heading would definitely make for a fascinating reveal.

Angela Abar's First 24 Hours: Does it bring back Regina King? Hell, yes. That alone should be enough reason, and I could go on to the third option. But for more detail, it's pretty simple. I'm working off the premise that Angela walked on water and is now Dr. Manhattan. So what was next? Like right after that happened? I don't want months, weeks, and even days. Just give me her first 24 hours, and I think that could speak volumes about what the future holds for the series' universe.

Adrian Veidt: A Day in the Life: After the initial Watchmen storyline and before he's sent to Europa to become a cruel god, there's a stretch of time there that would be interesting to take a look at. What was it like for Adrian (Jeremy Irons) a month… a year… three years after his big squid drop? An episode focusing on "A Day in the Life" would be fascinating, similar to the Breaking Bad episode where the fly was hunted in the meth lab.

Confession Video: The video that Senator and Seventh Kalvary head racist Joe Keene Jr. (James Wolk) was screened before joining a congressional committee. It's the same video he shows to Wade Tillman, aka Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), to open his eyes and get him to help the Seventh Kalvary. It's the confession video made and given to the POTUS as a passive-aggressive way of letting everyone know who they should be thanking. Keene establishes that the video is shown to everyone on a congressional committee: a form of collective guilt. I'd like to see profiles of 3-4 politicians who watched the video and how their personal and professional lives were affected as a result.

"Watchmen" Adaptation: Okay, this last one actually is for Lindelof, so we cheated a little. That said, after pulling off the masterpiece that was the Peabody Award-winning series, we would love to see him tackle the original storyline. By showing the squid, he already proved himself braver than Zack Snyder was with his big-screen adaptation. Lindelof's vision for the entire story would be a fascinating one, with only subtle changes to keep it connected to the pseudo-sequel remix.

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