Giving us an extended look at their upcoming sequel/reimagining of the legendary comic book, HBO’s Watchmen looks to be fighting in the streets this October. And what a fight it looks to be.
Seemingly set in the aftermath of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comic (who knows how referential to the Zack Snyder film this series will be), Watchmen would seem to play into the staples of the original with a cynical, grounded approach to superheroes. A cult of what would appear to be “Rorschach-worshippers” are perpetrating explosive violence, pushing law enforcement to ramp things up a notch. Maybe a notch too far out of 1984.
Showrunner Damon Lindelof’s strange and ethereal letter to fans defending the new series as a “remix,” and so far that rings true. Watchmen looks to be tackling social commentary by way of stars and spandex for 2019. It certainly feels like the prominence of militarizing law enforcement and vigilantism, and a sense of us-against-them brewing in HBO’s series is commenting on our reality. Hopefully
With a terrific cast including Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, and Jean Smart, Watchmen isn’t pulling punches in its production. This is HBO going all-in on superheroes, in their own way. Can you tell I’m excited?
