HBO has released a few short teasers for its upcoming Watchmen series. Via the series’ Instagram account, the teasers include references to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ original series, such as the popularity of pirate comic books over superheroes with The Black Freighter and Vietnam becoming the 51st American state after a US victory in the Vietnam War. Check out the teasers here…
Watchmen followed an alternate history where superheroes existed, but were outlawed by the US government in the height of Cold War paranoia, though some worked as agents for the government. HBO’s series, which is being showrun by Lost‘s Damon Lindelof, will tell an original story set in the same universe as the comic book and take place in the present day. Specific plot details remain a mystery, but HBO has stated that the series will “embrace the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.”
Watchmen will star Regina King (American Crime), Jeremy Irons (Justice League), Don Johnson (Miami Vice), Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk), Louis Gossett Jr. (Iron Eagle), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman), Adelaide Clemens (Rectify), Andrew Howard (Truth or Dare), Tom Mison (Sleepy Hollow), Frances Fisher (Titanic), Jacob Ming-Trent (White Famous), Sara Vickers (Endeavour), Dylan Schombing (Sharp Objects), James Wolk (Tell Me a Story), Lily Rose Smith (The Vampire Diaries), Jean Smart (Legion), Hong Chau (Downsizing) and Dustin Ingram (Sun Records).
Watchmen is expected to air on HBO at some point later this year.