Watchmen 2 Could Be in the Cards

[Tom Goldman]

Watchmen 2 Could Be in the Cards

Though the creators of Watchmen [http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401219268/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280161282&sr=1-1] abhor the idea of further additions to its universe, the money generated by a movie spawned in 2009 could make a prequel or spin-off inevitable.

DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz has made it a point to nix any new Watchmen projects, including a movie sequel, because he believed they would be against Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' (the original creators) wishes. The bearded Alan Moore has always been aggressively against his works becoming anything more than graphic novels, even refusing to accept any of the profits from the Watchmen movie. With Paul Levitz now stepping down from his position at DC, company Senior VP and Executive Editor Dan DiDio may be fast-tracking a pet project of his: more Watchmen.

This doesn't mean a new movie just yet, but it does mean that one or more prequel miniseries or spin-offs could be in the works. However, if a movie were to eventually take form, all of the actors from Watchmen are already contractually obligated to return for a sequel. For now, DiDio wants to impress the fat cats above him by expanding on the Watchmen universe in comic form, which is almost destined to sell a massive number of copies. I know I would buy it, even though it would annoy the fanboy in me.

Though DiDio has to give Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons first refusal on any such projects, their approval is extremely unlikely. We already know about Moore, while Gibbons has said in the past: "If you add anything to Watchmen, you're not adding to it, you're diluting it ... [The] general consensus, is leave well enough alone." Bringing one of the greatest graphic novels of all time to the movie screen is one thing, but adding to the Watchmen storylines already established with a miniseries, or multiple miniseries, could be a really bad idea. The only way I think it should be done is if Alan Moore himself came back to do it. Without him, it's not really Watchmen.

Again, I'd still probably buy it anyway, even though it'd make me hate myself a little. Admit it, you would too, even just to see how Watchmen was ruined.

(io9 [http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/02/03/get-ready-for-watchmen-2/])



Permalink

 

[Uberjoe19]

NO.

Hasn't Watchmen been treated badly enough already? They will NEVER be able to make a film that even approaches the complexity and scope of the graphic novel. This sequel should not be made.

 

[viciouspen]

Without Moore it wouldn't be the real thing.

But....so long as you give me Rorshache then I have to admit I'd be interested.

Honestly I think that's why a lot of this kind of stuff gets made, because although someone like me, that might think "ugh, they're right, this isn't adding to the universe, it's thinning it out", if they give me something fun and entertaining with my favorite fedora wearing psychopath (yes that includes Yahtzee) then I'm probably going to give it a go.

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

On behalf of all who loved Watchmen both as the book and as the movie:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

KILL IT! KILL IT NOW WHILE ITS STILL WEAK!

 

[scnj]

Absolutely no point whatsoever. The story was told, with enough flashbacks to flesh out the characters' backstories. Any more is a complete waste of time.

 

[Pimppeter2]

This is my not surprised face

I will however enjoy people bitching about it/praising it for the next couple of months, seeing it released to a big fat 'meh', and people getting over it in time for Halo Reach however.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

I think a couple of filler episodes of Rorschach's adventures prior to the events of Watchmen, when he was the dirty, violent vigilante in the shadows would be well worth reading.
ALOT that can be done with that, WITHOUT ruining or harming anything of the Watchmen mythos.

 

[tsu-money]

Could be good, could be bad.

But I have a feeling that nothing good will ever come from making a sequel to Watchmen.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

DELETED

 

[Avatar Roku]

I think a couple of filler episodes of Rorschach's adventures prior to the events of Watchmen, when he was the dirty, violent vigilante in the shadows would be well worth reading.
ALOT that can be done with that, WITHOUT ruining or harming anything of the Watchmen mythos.

They sort of did that, have you heard of Watchmen: The End Is Nigh? It was a couple of episodic games that were made for XBL a while ago, it followed Rorschach and Nite Owl taking down some mob boss or another in the back story. General consensus is that it was crap.

 

[Citrus]

Aw man, it's a guarantee that any spin-off they make will be a big steaming pile of crap. Especially with all the corporate meddling I imagine would take place.

Watchmen Origins: Rorshach. Guest starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

 

[mawk]

considering how the changes the directors made in the first movie were disappointing and incongruous with the rest of the picture (Matrix kung-fu fight scene, anyone? we have plenty!), I'd say that a movie generated entirely from the screenwriters' heads should not happen. the original work had a depth and quality of writing that was competently preserved in the movie, but the movie made it obvious that the writers were not Alan Moore, and should not pretend that they are.

my worst fear is that they'd glamourize the setting or the characters. everyone in Watchmen is fundamentally flawed, and their dysfunction is one of the story's major pillars. I'd hate to see them become some dimestore-heroic cast of archetypes.

 

[AnarchistAbe]

Absolutely no point whatsoever. The story was told, with enough flashbacks to flesh out the characters' backstories. Any more is a complete waste of time.

Npt true. I would love to see a fully developed movie about the comedian. Either him or Rorshak.

 

[Daniel Cygnus]

I think Rorschach said it best: "No...no, no, no, no, NO! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

 

[mawk]

Npt true. I would love to see a fully developed movie about the comedian. Either him or Rorshak.

problem being that it would all just be conjecture on the parts of the screenwriters. they don't know the Comedian or Rorschach any better than you or I do, and without Moore's input the work would have no more depth or insight than your typical fanfiction (and may I remind you that Moore is generally as cooperative as a mountain having a sulk).

 

[ccesarano]

This is like when I fell in love with Final Fantasy Tactics for being a fantastic story that was self-contained, focused on realistic class-struggles, abuse of power both religiously and royally and so many other adult themes, and remains as the greatest tactical JRPG ever conceived due to its complexity and customization. Then Squenix went and made a "sequel" that made it a bunch of kids getting sucked into their favorite book series called "Final Fantasy", simplifying the combat and turning it into a piece of junk overall.

I avoided that bastardization like the plague, and I'll do the same for whatever bullshit they do to Watchmen.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Heh, but didn't Moore already make, like, half of a tabletop roleplaying universe for Watchmen before the project was scrapped? I don't think Watchmen needs a sequel, it stands up on its own just fine, but it's not like it's blasphemy for a new author or director to explore someone else's setting.

Because that's what Alan Moore did in the first place. All the Minutemen stated off as palette swaps of Charlton Comics characters.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

I think a couple of filler episodes of Rorschach's adventures prior to the events of Watchmen, when he was the dirty, violent vigilante in the shadows would be well worth reading.
ALOT that can be done with that, WITHOUT ruining or harming anything of the Watchmen mythos.

They sort of did that, have you heard of Watchmen: The End Is Nigh? It was a couple of episodic games that were made for XBL a while ago, it followed Rorschach and Nite Owl taking down some mob boss or another in the back story. General consensus is that it was crap.

That was a Game, not a graphic novel or a movie or even a miniseries.
Games can sometimes suck even though the story DOESN'T. For example, Too Human... to be fair, I thought Too Human's story and universe were rather epic and interesting.. but GOD, having to play through the GAME was torturous just to see it through...
another game like that -

Advent Rising

Great story, less than thrilling game play. Now I'll never know how things turned out.

 

[Vrex360]

Frankly I see no point of continuation, all the flashbacks elequently explained all the character's pasts as well as the past of the Watchmen universe and everything wrapped up nicely. What would be the point in a sequel or prequel?
Besides given how angry Alan Moore was about people making a movie of his works at all I imagine something like this would be the thing that makes him go supernova and kill everyone in a five hundred mile radius*.

[sub]* That said I still respect the man as an artist[/sub]