Back in 2014, there were talks about "Watchmen" making their way into the small screen in the form of a television series. Now, it appears that it is going to happen as HBO has recently greenlit the show and is now officially in pre-production.
As revealed by Variety, HBO has ordered a pilot for the "Watchmen" television series that the cable network is developing with "The Leftovers" creator Damon Lindelof. HBO has also committed to additional backup scripts for the show the day after Lindelof hinted on Instagram that the writers are at work on the project.
This confirmation comes in three months following the news of Lindelof developing a small screen version of the DC Comics property as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter. Lindelof read the comics when he was a kid in the 1980's and has also said back in 2009 that it served as one of his influences when it comes to his work. He has read the comics several times and even raved about Zack Snyder's take on the comics when the movie came out.
"Watchmen" is based on the DC Comics miniseries of the same name, created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It was a more serious deconstruction of superhero comics whose characters were loosely inspired by the characters from Charlton Comics, which is also owned by DC. It takes place in a universe in which heroes in costumes played an integral part in the course of history from the victory of the U.S. in Vietnam to Nixon's extended presidential term in the 80s.
It follows a team of crime fighters who investigate the murder of their own colleague. Featuring Doctor Manhattan, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl, and Rorschach, the characters slowly unveil a conspiracy that could have big implications.
The "Watchmen" TV series premiere date has yet to be determined.
