This is one of those stories where if we waited long enough, it would move from unfounded rumor to founded rumor.
HBO has confirmed that executives have had a conversation with writer/producer/director Zack Snyder about the classic Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic novel [amazon text=Watchmen&asin=1401238963]. Rather, we think that’s what they had a conversation about. Collider reported it yesterday, and HBO released the following statement:
“Preliminary discussions regarding Watchmen have occurred, but we have no additional information and no deals are in place.”
Speculation, of course, will run wild. Does this mean that Snyder wants to remake his [amazon text=previous adaptation&asin=B001FB55H6] of the work as an HBO series? Since he does seem to be a Warner Brothers favorite, and they are loyal to their visionaries (your mileage may vary), is Snyder actually talking about Before Watchmen, the series of mini-series that DC Comics released a few years ago?
As always, there are a lot of hurdles to get from here to there, whatever “there” is. This could all fall apart and never happen. (And it won’t have anything to do with those of us in the fandom press, okay?)
The best of all possible worlds, assuming that Snyder has his hand in, is that Snyder produces 12 episodes, one per original issue of the book, and allows a variety of writers and directors a shot at them. He’s already done what he could with the material, and I know it’s controversial to say it, but he did it with love and reverence for the original, and it’s a pretty good movie. But of course it lost a lot in translation. A 2 1/2 hour movie made from a sprawling, deep, layered comic book series always will.
If HBO is interested in Before Watchmen, well, it could be interesting, as many of those books were — I still stand by the feeling that they were just unnecessary, but I’m occasionally a less is Moore kind of guy.
And no, let’s not chase after Alan Moore for a comment. He’s made his feelings known. That’s done. Nobody tries to contact Arthur Conan Doyle every time somebody messes with Sherlock Holmes. (Though, good lord, a seance for Doyle would be terrifically apropos.)
