HBO's Watchmen TV Show: Release Date, Story Details, & Cast

HBO's Watchmen TV show is on the way, but when will it release? The legendary 1986 graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons is still considered the gold standard of comic book storytelling three decades one. Its dark deconstruction of superhero tropes would go on to heavily influence a generation of comic book creators. Indeed, along with Frank Miller's Batman epic The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen is often considered the point when superhero comic books gained legitimacy by primarily targeting adult readers rather than children.

Watchmen has something of a checkered history in Hollywood. Alan Moore had an infamous falling out with DC Comics in the late 80s and has publicly disavowed all efforts to adapt his work for film and television, including Watchmen. After several false starts by directors like Terry Gilliam, David Hayter, and Darren Aronofsky, Watchmen finally made its way to the big screen in 2008, helmed by Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder. The film proved modestly successful at the box office and garnered lukewarm reviews, though its extended "Ultimate Cut" home release has gained a significant cult following.

With 2019's Watchmen TV show, HBO is ready to take another swing at the story that has been called "unfilmable" on more than one occasion. Spearheaded by Lost and The Leftovers writer Damon Lindelof, details on the project have been hard to come by, but some of the basics are starting to come together, signaling that this will be a very different take on Watchmen.

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Last updated: March 21, 2019

HBO's Watchmen TV Show Is A Sequel To The Comics

After the release of the 2008 film, Zack Snyder and HBO were in discussions about bringing Watchmen to the small screen in some form. That never materialized, however, and Lindelof's series will not be in continuity with Snyder's film. While Snyder's film was noted for its slavish devotion to the graphic novel's look and story, it actually did change some crucial aspects of the story, including the deadly climax, with Adrian Veidt framing Doctor Manhattan for the destruction of New York City, rather than unleashing the iconically horrific squid monster from the comic.

Lindelof has remained cagey about the exact relationship HBO's Watchmen TV show will share with the source material, proclaiming it neither a reboot or a sequel in a widely shared Instagram post where he chronicled his lifelong love of the graphic novel he and his father shared. Yet there are hints emerging that this will indeed be a continuation of the original story. We know that the Watchmen TV show will take place in an alternate future where superheroes have been outlawed, and some familiar faces will play a factor as well.

HBO's Watchmen TV Show Cast

There has been abundant casting news regarding the Watchmen TV show, but with virtually no character details attached. The show's cast is overflowing with talent, headlined by Emmy winner Regina King, who worked with Lindelof on his last HBO series, The Leftovers. Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, and Aquaman's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are also onboard in undisclosed roles. Jean Smart will also be jumping superhero television franchises, boarding Watchmen just as Legion is concluding.

Our first - and so far, only - direct casting link to the source material is Jeremy Irons, who's been tapped to play Ozymandias himself, Adrian Veidt. Irons - no stranger to comic book fans after playing Alfred Pennyworth in Batman v Superman and Justice League - is significantly older than Veidt during the events of the original story, in line with the modern day setting, and his ruthless plan to unite humanity will no doubt serve as the catalyst for the show's dystopian future.

So far, no other characters from the original story have been confirmed to return, though it seems a sure bet that the godlike Doctor Manhattan will play a role in some form.

HBO's Watchmen TV Show Premiere Date

There's still no firm release date for the Watchmen TV show. Production on the pilot began in June 2018, and production on the series proper began in October 2018. It seems a certainty that Watchmen will be an effects-heavy series and will surely need lead times similar to Game of Thrones and Westworld between seasons. A late 2019 premiere for the Watchmen TV show seems likely, though it could theoretically debut before that, as HBO is going to need another genre behemoth once Game of Thrones ends its run in May 2019.

Page 2 of 2: What Is The Story Of HBO's Watchmen?

HBO's Watchmen TV Show Story

Story details on the Watchmen TV show are still slim, but it will take place decades after the original story and will feature at least one return character in the guise of Adrian Veidt. Lindelof is notorious for playing things close to the vest, most notably during his years as Lost's co-showrunner. He was also an advocate for keeping secret the true identity of Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, which he co-wrote, until after the film had premiered. It's entirely possible you won't know the real story of HBO's Watchmen TV show until we're watching it.

HBO's Watchmen Is Not Connected To Doomsday Clock

In a bit of corporate serendipity, DC Comics is currently publishing a sequel to the original Watchmen graphic novel called Doomsday Clock. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank, Doomsday Clock sees DC's mainline superheroes crossing over with Watchmen from an alternate reality in ways that are still revealing themselves to readers. It's a dark, meta sequel to the original that has been critically acclaimed for staying true to the worldview established by Moore's original while doing new and interesting things with characters like Rorschach and Superman.

And while they may share some cosmetic similarities, HBO's Watchmen TV show will be wholly unrelated to Doomsday Clock, and will not utilize DC's more well-known superheroes. The dream of seeing Batman star in a HBO series must once again be deferred.

HBO's Watchmen Has Parallels To Lindelof's The Leftovers

Lindelof is most famous for his work on Lost, but his magnum opus is The Leftovers. The critically acclaimed, little-watched HBO series ran for three seasons, telling a story where 2% of the world's population simply disappears without explanation, chronicling the practical and psychological fallout that event leaves in its wake. It was equal parts grim, surreal, sexy, and hilarious. It was ultimately a show about grief, how people cope with unexplainable loss without going insane.

The Leftovers shares more than a little thematic DNA with the Watchmen TV show, including character focused vignettes and the bending of the rules of linear storytelling. It's easy to see how Lindelof can transfer the skills he mastered on the former to make the latter all the more potent.