While Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen series made use of a number of characters from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons superhero epic (see Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre of the Crimebusters along with the first costumed adventurer, Hooded Justice) one notable absence from the HBO show was Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. the second Nite Owl.
Speaking to Collider following the conclusion of the season, Lindelof has explained why the writers chose to leave Nite Owl out of the series, revealing that the decision was not made lightly:
“I would say that we committed, it’s hard to quantify hours, but, if someone said that we kicked around that possibility for 40 hours of overall room time, that would feel a little low to me,” said Lindelof with the regards to how long they debated Nite Owl’s inclusion. “But, one of the things that we are constantly trying to solve for, was the ratio between old and new. And, I felt very strongly that Laurie needed to be in this show. And, I felt very strongly that Manhattan needed to be in the show. And, I felt very strongly that Veidt needed to be in the show. And, we knew that the central character of the show was Hooded Justice and his granddaughter. It felt like, if we added Dan into the mix, that the balance tipped too much towards the old, and not enough towards the new. But, we did discuss multiple versions of what it would look like for him to appear.”
SEE ALSO: Damon Lindelof on the possibility of a second season of Watchmen
Were you disappointed that we didn’t get to catch up with Dan Dreiberg in Watchmen? Let us know in the comments below or on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Watchmen stars Regina King (The Leftovers), 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).
Originally published December 25, 2019. Updated December 26, 2019.
