HBO's Watchmen isn't poking fun at Zack Snyder's 2009 film. Both the TV series and movie are based on the iconic 1987 graphic novel from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The comic book revolves around a group of mainly retired American superheroes who exist in an alternate history during the height of the Cold War.
Spearheaded by Damon Lindelof, the new adaptation that has been airing every week on HBO veers away from Zack Snyder's cult favorite film. Instead, Watchmen picks up 34 years following the events of the comic series and is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in an alternative reality. The show focuses on the racial tensions in the city between the white supremacist group dubbed the Seventh Kavalry and the Police Department with detective Angela Abar (Regina King) - a detective aka Sister Night, at the center of the narrative.
While HBO's Watchmen doesn't directly address the events of Snyder's movie, some assumed that the show-within-a-show, "American Hero Story" is a way for the sequel series to poke fun at the film. On the in-universe program, Hooded Justice is played by Cheyenne Jackson, a white actor, while the series' real version of the character is a black man named Will Reeves (Louis Gossett Jr.). This is perceived by some to be a jab at the Watchmen film's historical erasure. On top of that, the hyper-stylized action sequences in “American Hero Story” coupled with its slow motion cinematography is a deliberate choice to parody Snyder's visual style. However, both Lindelof and co-executive producer Nicole Kassell vehemently deny this in a recent interview with Variety.
Lindelof: “I will always take responsibility for when I’m winking or insulting or trolling,” he says. “There was no intentionality on my part to make fun of or take a shot at or troll Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’ movie. I have a tremendous amount of affection for Zack’s movie and for Zack himself. And I feel like if anything, the challenge of doing ‘Watchmen’ as a straight-up adaptation in the body of a three-hour movie is near impossible, and he did about as good of a job as anyone can.”
Nicole Kassell: “I fully admire him as a filmmaker so to hear that it could even be used as a negative comment feels terrible."
Snyder was initially involved in the development of the Watchmen series. But two years later after it was announced in 2015, it was confirmed that he's no longer attached. Instead, HBO began negotiations with Lindelof to lead the project. As a long time fan of the original groundbreaking comic book, Lindelof declined the project a couple of times due to the pressure, but he eventually signed on for it. The show has yet to be confirmed for a second season and the season 1 finale is scheduled to release this week, but considering the massive praise it has gotten, there's a very strong chance HBO will renew Watchmen for a season 2.
With both Lindelof and Kassell clarifying this matter, fans can now simply enjoy the final episode of Watchmen season 1 and appreciate what the show has been able to do since it debuted back in October. Between the great writing and brilliant performance from the actors, the series is easily one of the best shows currently on air.
Source: Variety