Unlike Zack Snyder’s 2009 film, Watchmen will not follow the events of the graphic novel directly. Instead, the show will take place in an alternative present-day Tulsa, Oklahoma, 34 years after the end of the comics and will serve as a sequel of sorts.
The diverse cast features a few famous faces, notably Jeremy Irons as an elderly Adrian Veidt (a.k.a. Ozymandias, a.k.a. ‘The Smartest Man in the World’). However, all of the other original Watchmen from the graphic novels are absent from any casting lists, although the Silk Spectre and Doctor Manhattan are expected to appear as the series progresses.
Despite this seeming lack of “super-heroes”, the modern setting will bring with it a new host of masked vigilantes (and villains) across all sides of the moral spectrum, from part time detectives to an army of Rorschach replicas.
Moore’s legacy has also been questionably tested in a recent run of DC comic-books
Although Alan Moore has famously denounced any on-screen adaptations of his works in the past, Lindelof is hopeful that the new series will remain faithful to the values and message of the original work. Moore’s legacy has also been questionably tested in a recent run of DC comic-books, which feature a crossover event between Watchmen and the typical pantheon of DC heroes, which seems to be building to an epic conflict between Doctor Manhattan and the Man of Steel himself.
Fans will soon be able to judge for themselves as the first episode of Watchmen will air on 20/10/19, but viewers in the UK will need access to Sky Atlantic or a NOW TV entertainment pass to watch.