Earlier this summer it was reported that HBO had begun talks with Lost’s Damon Lindelof to develop a series based upon Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen. Since then, we’ve had little else in the way of information, but Lindelof has now seemingly confirmed that work on the series has officially begun.
Using his Instagram, Lindelof posted a photo complete with the caption ‘Day One’, which looks to be in a writer’s room and features a statue which will be very familiar to Watchmen fans.
Watchmen was first published as 12 issues between 1986 – 1987, and depicts a world where superhero vigilantes were outlawed and America and Russia were on the brink of nuclear war. When one of their own dies under mysterious circumstances, some of the old heroes must come out of retirement to solve his murder and save the world.
There’s been little revealed as to how the show will tackle the story, if it will even follow the graphic novel at all, though HBO president Casey Bloys hinted that the series could feature some original content.
UPDATE: Variety is reporting that HBO has officially placed a pilot order for Watchmen, and has also committed to additional backup scripts fo rthe series.
Watchmen was adapted for the big screen by Zack Snyder in 2009, starring Jeffery Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Malin Ackerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Carla Gugino, Mathew Goode and Billy Crudup, and earned $185 million at the worldwide box office. DC Comics began a series of prequel stories called Before Watchmen, detailing several of the backstories that are hinted at in the original series but never fully explored. DC is currently also getting ready for their event series Doomsday Clock, which is the culmination of the DC Rebirth initiative as Superman comes face-to-face with Dr. Manhattan.
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