HBO orders Watchmen TV series for 2019

Who watches the Watchmen? Viewers of the upcoming live-action adaptation from HBO.

After a pilot from Lost’s Damon Lindelof was ordered in 2017, the broadcaster has now confirmed it aims for a series based on classic graphic novel Watchmen to air in 2019.

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But rather than offer a direct translation of the comic book story, as director Zack Snyder gave audiences in a 2009 film, showrunner Damon Lindelof previously promised a “remixed” version of the source material.

Alongside the announcement, HBO also gave an ambiguous show synopsis: “Set in an alternate history where ‘superheroes’ are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original ground-breaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.”

They also released teaser graphics for the show, featuring the words “nothing ever ends”. This refers to a line in Alan Moore’s comic book when villain Ozymandias asks if he "did the right thing in the end” by [SPOILER ALERT] faking an alien invasion in New York. To this, superhero Doctor Manhattan replies: “In the end? Nothing ends.”

The show already boasts a huge cast, including *deep breath* Jeremy Irons, 24’s Regina King, Miami Vice star Don Johnson, Fantastic Four’s Tim Blake Nelson, Roots’ Louis Gossett Jr, The Get Down’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, The Great Gatsby’s Adelaide Clemens, The Outpost’s Andrew Howard, Sleepy Hollow’s Tom Mison, Titanic’s Frances Fisher and Sara Vickers from Endeavour.

Watchmen started life as a comic book mini-series in the 1980s. It deconstructed classic superhero stories, following its protagonists in a world where the costumed crime fighters win the Vietnam war for the US and oversee a lengthy Nixon presidency.