HBO has a TV show based onWatchmenon the way in 2019 , but we ’re still not quite sure what it ’s about . Show   creator Damon Lindelofwrote a five - page letter about his account with the root textile and his intentions for the TV show , but though that clarified that it would n’t be a direct adaptation , it did n’t really explicate what itwouldbe - whether it would be conterminous to the story of the graphic novel , a prequel , or a subsequence .

Lindelof tell that he and the other creatives behind the show stand for to " disrupt " and " remix"Watchmen , but that the original comedian will still be canon . The TV show will be " set in the world its Jehovah fastidiously build , " but will " thrill with the seismal volatility of its own tectonic crustal plate . " That certainly sounds challenging , but it does n’t really clear things up .

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free-base on what we do know about the TV show , which wasrecently ordered to serial ,   it does appear to be a sequel … sorting of . hardened photos clearly   point to a modern setting , and the show will have a new cast of characters , with the original line - up either play a   minor role , or simply not appearing at all . But how exactly will it connect to the original graphic novel ?

What The Watchmen TV Show Isn’t

One matter that Lindelof has been very intransigent about is the fact that his video show is not a direct adaption of the comedian . " We have no desire to ' accommodate ' the twelve issue Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons created thirty years ago , " he wrote . " Those issues are sacred land and they will not be retread nor recreate nor reproduce nor boot . " So , while we will believably see cite to the result of the original graphic novel , do n’t expect to see actual flashback scenes to iconic moments , and do n’t carry to see a capital deal of the original characters .

What else wo n’t it be ? Well , Lindelof drop a line in his varsity letter that " we are not making a ' continuation ' either " - but the quote around the Holy Scripture " subsequence " indicate that he ’s using a rather minute definition of the word . Indeed , he break down on to say that it ’s not a " sequel "   in the sense that it will be an " original " and " modern-day " story ( even though subsequence are often both of those affair ) . So , if it ’s not a " subsequence , " then what is it ?

HBO’s Watchmen Is Modern Day & Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma

One affair we get it on for certain about HBO’sWatchmenis that it will have a New - daylight setting , and therefore wo n’t   pore on the immediate aftermath of the calamity at the last of the graphic novel . placed photos showa globe that has had time to adapt , with warning signs and references to showers of alien squid - presumably small versions of the same monstrosity that Ozymandias unleash on New York City at the end of the comic . A copy of a newspaper calledThe Tulsa Sunhas a price of $ 1.75 , in short letter with current newspaper costs , and a written matter of theTulsa Worldincludes a " Never Forget " memorial clause for the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing . Another set photo show a new version of the American flagstone , with the maven arranged otherwise , and the same exposure shows modern gondola rather than vintage ' 80s vehicles . So , not only will the show be set in modern times , it also looks to be countersink in Tulsa , Oklahoma .

We also know that the TV show will concentrate on mostly , if not entirely , on original reference . One of thenewspaper headlines in the rigid photosreads " Veidt formally Declared Dead , " which seems to imply thatAdrian Veidt a.k.a . Ozymandiaswent neglect at some point . If   he had simply died , the newspaper headline would read more like " Veidt Passes forth , " whereas " Declared Dead " point that the authorities have simply given up the search . The other Minutemen appear to be remembered positively , as evidenced by a determined photo of a poster for a TV show calledAmerican Hero Story : Minutemen(obviously a twisting on theAmerican Horror StoryandAmerican Crime Storyanthology serial ) .

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This goggle box show may be what Lindelof was refer to when he wrote , " We also intend to revisit the preceding century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising , yet familiar set of eyes …. and it   is here where we ’ll be taking our greatest risk . " That suggests that at least one character from the original graphic novel will play a persona - though whether the retiring century will be research through an in - universe television receiver show , or whether HBO’sWatchmenwill stick to more traditional flashback , remains to be seen .

As for those original character , the cast so far includesRegina King , Louis Gossett Jr. ,Tom Mison , Francis Fisher , Tim Blake Nelson andJeremy Irons . Based on thepilot ’s eccentric breakdown , it seems that   most of the main characters are cop or relate to copper , indicating that theWatchmenTV show   may specifically be about police officers trying to do their jobs in   the world create by Ozymandias ' actions . Lindelof ’s letter also advert that there will be " new faces " and " new masque to cover them , " so superheroes definitely are n’t out of the picture .

Page 2:HBO’s Watchmen Isn’t a “Sequel,” But It Is A Sequel

Watchmen Isn’t a “Sequel,” But It Is a Sequel

HBO’sWatchmenis a continuation in the gumption that A ) it ’s jell in the same continuity as the comics and B ) it take place after the events of the comics . It will not be a sequel in the sense of prove in - depth what fall out to Nite Owl , Silk Spectre and Ozymandias after the calamari   was teleport to New York and exploded , but it will be a sequel in the sentiency of showing the shock that the tragedy had on the world and how it change the course of chronicle .

In the spirit of the original graphic novel , the TV show will also be influenced by contemporary politics , with Lindelof promise that it will " come across with the oftenness of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on , shirtless . " One newspaper headline in the set exposure mentioned that malicious mischief by the KKK had push the closure of the Statue of Liberty - reflecting the current resurgence of white patriotism and lily-white supremacy within alt - right politics . Lindelof name his show as the New Testament to the Old Testament of the original graphical novel :

Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament . When the New Testament came along , it did not erase what get before it . existence . The Garden of Eden . Abraham and Isaac . The Flood . It all happened . And so it will be with Watchmen . The Comedian died . Dan and Laurie fell in love . Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan impart it just after blowing Rorschach to pieces in the acerbic cold of Antarctica . To be clear . Watchmen is canyon .

Richard Kind Poker Face Season 2 Interview header

So , it ’s clear-cut that the TV show will be a protraction of the world of the comics . Of of course , the one pilot in the ointment here is that Watchmen alreadyhasa New Testament in the funnies : Doomsday Clock .

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Doomsday Clockis a 12 - issue limited series written by Geoff Johns ( whom Lindelof names as being " improbably supportive " in his development of the TV show ) . It ’s currently midway through its report and set to close in 2019 , entail that the sequel comic and the sequel TV show will probably be severalize their respective stories at the same time . Although Lindelof ’s varsity letter is deliberate to promise that the original 12 comic will be canyon in the TV show , he makes no mention ofDoomsday Clockor the prequel seriesBefore Watchmen .

Our best guess at the bit is that the TV show will ignore anything in the comics beyond the original graphic novel , so neitherBefore WatchmennorDoomsday Clockwill be considered canon ( especially sinceDoomsday Clockbrings well - acknowledge DC superheroes like Batman and Superman into the mixture ) .

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Watchmen TV show sequel

While we have been able to patch together a general word picture of what theWatchmenTV show will be , there ’s still a lot we do n’t screw . The show is presently being shoot , so hopefully we wo n’t have to wait too much longer for an official synopsis and - eventually - a trailer . In the meantime , we ’ll be certain to keep you updated on all the late news program and clues .

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HBO’sWatchmenwill premiere in 2019 .

The main characters in a poster for Watchmen (2009)

Watchmen comic book Rorshach

Watchmen Ozymandias

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the watchmen