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Nicole Kassell to Direct Damon Lindelof's 'Watchmen' Pilot for HBO

HBO's upcoming series based on the Watchmen graphic novel has announced Nicole Kassell as director for the pilot episode.



Article Summary

  • Nicole Kassell directs the 'Watchmen' pilot for HBO, written by Damon Lindelof.
  • Kassell has experience with HBO's shows like 'The Leftovers' and 'Westworld'.
  • The pilot's story remains a mystery, though HBO has ordered additional scripts.
  • 'Watchmen' is based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

 

HBO's series based on the iconic Watchmen graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is getting closer to seeing the light of day. The television version was officially greenlit with a pilot order back in September, with news coming today of a director attached to helm the pilot. Nicole Kassell has been tapped to direct the pilot episode, written by Damon Lindelof of LOST fame/infamy. This won't be her first pilot rodeo, as Nicole directed the premiere of TNT's Claws.

Nicole Kassell attends HBO Series "Watchmen"  Los Angeles Premiere at The Cinerama Dome, Hollywood, CA on October 14, 2019, photo by Eugene Powers/Shutterstock.com
Nicole Kassell attends HBO Series "Watchmen" Los Angeles Premiere at The Cinerama Dome, Hollywood, CA on October 14, 2019, photo by Eugene Powers/Shutterstock.com

 

Kassell previously worked with HBO, directing two episodes of the cable network's The Leftovers, as well as Westworld and Vinyl. She also has FX's The Americans, AMC's Better Call Saul, and Sundance TV's Rectify under her belt as well as ABC's American Crime and Hulu's upcoming Castle Rock.  She co-wrote and directed the 2004 film The Woodsman, based on the play of the same name by Steven Fechter, which starred Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.

This is a nice change for a high profile HBO show, after the unfortunate mostly female-free directors list of Game of Thrones. Lindelof posted to his Instagram today after the Kassell announcement was made public: "If y'all are into lion sex boats, then you're gonna LOVE what Nicole's got cooking on our beloved WATCHMEN." We don't know much about what story the pilot may follow as far as Watchmen characters go, but we do know HBO ordered "backup scripts", but it's unclear if these were alternate pilot scripts or just additional scripts for future episodes.

Watchmen was created by writer Alan Moore, illustrator Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. It was released on a monthly basis by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, later compiled into a single volume in 1987. The series emerged from a concept Moore had initially proposed to DC, which involved using superheroes from Charlton Comics, a company DC had recently acquired. However, because Moore's original idea would have rendered these characters unusable in the future, Dick Giordano, the managing editor, suggested Moore come up with new characters for the story.


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Mary Anne ButlerAbout Mary Anne Butler

Bleeding Cool News Editor Mary Anne Butler (Mab, for short) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), and most recently Bleeding Cool. 

Over the past 10 years, she’s built a presence at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). 

 Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. 

 Though she be but little, she is fierce. #MabTheProfessional
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