“Watchmen” is a comic book series (though those who want to sound fancy will say “graphic novel”) that is regarded as one of the greatest uses of the medium ever created. There have been university classes taught about the story. A whole generation of creative folks cites the source material as one of their greatest influences. Hell, back in 2010, Time Magazine said “Watchmen” is one of the 100 Best English-language novels published since 1923.
But yet, fans are still highly skeptical about HBO’s upcoming “Watchmen” TV series. That being said, maybe the addition of an Oscar-winning musical duo can give a shred of hope?
Deadline is reporting that Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor have signed on to write the music for the upcoming HBO superhero series, which is created and showrun by Damon Lindelof. For those not familiar with the comic series, or this new version, “Watchmen” takes place in an alternate history where superheroes were once revered but are now considered outlaws. The HBO series is said to take place in the current time (which would mean approximately 30 years after the original comic) and feature new heroes interacting with some old familiar faces.
READ MORE: Damon Lindelof Begs Fans To Give His “Remixed” ‘Watchmen’ Adaptation A Shot
The addition of Ross and Reznor is a good bit of news, if you’re hoping this series ultimately succeeds (because if you look on social media, there’s a healthy amount of comic book fans that want this HBO show to never see the light of day). The musical duo won an Oscar for their work on David Fincher’s “The Social Network.” They’ve also been nominated for three Golden Globes for their work on the films “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and the aforementioned ‘Social Network.’
With a star-studded cast, including Regina King (fresh off her recent Emmy win), Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, and Louis Gossett Jr, and writer-producer Damon Lindelof (who despite debatable “Lost” results, scored big with “The Leftovers”), “Watchmen” looks to be a project that HBO is betting big on.
No release date has been set, but the series is expected to hit in 2019.
Here’s the official description:
‘Watchmen’ embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.” That is in keeping with the letter Lindelof posted for fans back in May in which he stated that the show will not be a re-telling of the story from the graphic novel, but rather a new story in the same world with new characters set in the present day. “Some of the characters will be unknown,” Lindelof wrote. “New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising yet familiar set of eyes…and it is here we will be taking our greatest risks.