Regina King in unmasked as Sister Night in a brand-new poster for HBO's Watchmen series. Written by legendary creator Alan Moore, the original Watchmen comic series debuted in 1986 and concluded in 1987. Critically acclaimed and fiercely beloved, the saga took place in a world with an alternate history. Because of the emergence of superheroes and costumed vigilantes in the 1940s and 1960s, the United States actually won the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon remained president due to no Watergate scandal. Picking up in 1985, with vigilantism now outlawed and a World War III imminent, a cast of characters are pulled out of retirement to solve a murder and unravel a global conspiracy.
The comic book saga, once deemed unfilmable, was adapted by Zack Snyder in 2009. The response proved extremely polarizing, with the film enjoying both glowing reviews and scathing derision upon release. Regardless, the film has become something of a cult classic in the eyes of many. A new television version was ordered to series at HBO in August last year. Developed by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, the series was revealed to be more of a thematic sequel to the original comic rather than a straight adaptation. Since then, numerous casting details have emerged - including the seemingly accidental reveal that Jeremy Irons will be playing Ozymandias. Alongside him, the cast will also include Jean Smart, Don Johnson, and Aquaman's Yahya Abdul Mateen II.
A number of clips and trailers previously confirmed that King would also star as Detective Angela Abar. After a wave of coordinated attacks against police officers and their families, King's character is one of many who opt to start wearing a mask when dishing out justice. As a result, she will be seemingly drawn into a new, widespread conspiracy - one that will eventually see the return of Doctor Manhattan, a character from the original comics who ultimately exiled himself from Earth and that, on the show, may have a cult of his own. A newly released poster, however, puts the focus squarely on an unmasked version of King's character, who will go by the alter-ego Sister Night. Check it out below:
King previously collaborated with Lindelof on multiple episodes of his acclaimed drama The Leftovers. The show also aired on HBO and ran for three seasons. Although it was never a huge ratings winner, the series has been hailed by many as one of the greatest television shows of all time. The California-born actress also recently bagged an Academy Award for her performance in Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk. As well as acting, she had even worked her magic behind the camera, directing episodes on such shows as This Is Us.
In terms of Watchmen, it remains to be seen how the show fares overall. Although fans are all but universally prepared for some stellar work from King, the story itself has remained fully under wraps. Equally, the fact it's not a direct adaptation has inevitably been met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Such feelings were only exacerbated by original writer Moore's own comments regarding the show. Regardless, the poster only adds to the promise of the show - sportingly a decidedly accurate aesthetic to the world people know and love. Though the poster declares that it's time, fans will still have to wait a little while yet, however, before they can fully judge for themselves.
Watchmen premieres Sunday, October 20 at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.
Source: HBO