Zack Snyder and HBO Reportedly In Talks For A "Watchmen" Tv Series

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Meanwhile, just because he's the smartest guy doesn't mean he's the only smart guy. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that someone would find out the truth about the giant squid sooner or later.

Why? It's a being supposedly from another dimension which is half destroyed, half phased into buildings and all dead, there's nothing on the creature itself which would hint towards it being a fake, and outside of the surviving members of the Watchmen there's no one alive who is aware it's fake.

Plus, in the movie Dr. Manhattan DID say he didn't do it before storming off to another galaxy, a scene which had him show more human emotion then any other post accident scene.

Seriously? If you can't see why a giant squid from another dimension is a lot harder to swallow and a lot more likely to ultimately be exposed than an already existing godlike being that is perfectly capable of doing what Veidt framed him for, then there's no point in this discussion.

And when did Dr. Manhattan say that he didn't do it? As far as I recall the last thing he did before leaving was talk to Laurie? Unless you're talking about the time when he came back with her from Mars. In which case it doesn't matter what he said because there was no one alive there who could hear him.

The problem with making Dr. Manhattan the great unifyer is that he symbolizes America's nuclear might. I mean, he's named 'Dr. Manhattan', for Christ's sake. That would inevitably make other nations blame America for this guy, and they'd be right back where they started. And the other thing is that Manhattan has a link to humanity, which decreases his perceived threat level around the world. And the world has already known about him for years now, they're used to "the superman", so he's not some mindboggling new danger that utterly shocks the world.

I admire your optimism. But humans are pretty shit. They'd turn against him in an instant.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The problem with making Dr. Manhattan the great unifyer is that he symbolizes America's nuclear might. I mean, he's named 'Dr. Manhattan', for Christ's sake. That would inevitably make other nations blame America for this guy, and they'd be right back where they started. And the other thing is that Manhattan has a link to humanity, which decreases his perceived threat level around the world. And the world has already known about him for years now, they're used to "the superman", so he's not some mindboggling new danger that utterly shocks the world.

I admire your optimism. But humans are pretty shit. They'd turn against him in an instant.

What I meant was, he's highly dangerous and basically a god on Earth, but to the world he's not an unknown threat. And that's the key difference. In the comic the supposed giant squid did as much damage as Dr. Manhatten could do, but it's a giant fucking squid presumably from beyond the stars with motives one can only ponder.

It's not the danger it presents, because nukes present just as much danger and people (in the comic) are still willing to use them when pressed. It's the fact that it's a totally bizare and unknown creature so far removed from humanity in every way that caused the attack -- That's what's supposed to shock people into world peace.

 

[Zontar]

Seriously? If you can't see why a giant squid from another dimension is a lot harder to swallow and a lot more likely to ultimately be exposed than an already existing godlike being that is perfectly capable of doing what Veidt framed him for, then there's no point in this discussion.

Wouldn't the existence of a godlike being coupled with a corps of an alien no one alive who isn't a part of a tight nit conspiracy could identify as fake make it more likely people would believe it? Especially given how the godlike being in question who is an alternative is one who had worked hard to advance humanity in the short period he was around?

And when did Dr. Manhattan say that he didn't do it? As far as I recall the last thing he did before leaving was talk to Laurie? Unless you're talking about the time when he came back with her from Mars. In which case it doesn't matter what he said because there was no one alive there who could hear him.

There was a scene near the end of the movie where he's in a suit in front of congress or some other big building in DC being swarmed by reporters asking him why he did it with him very loudly yelling he didn't before he leaves. Although it's not outright stated, it's implied that in the movie the anger he was getting was what broke the camel's back on his decision to leave.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Wouldn't the existence of a godlike being coupled with a corps of an alien no one alive who isn't a part of a tight nit conspiracy could identify as fake make it more likely people would believe it? Especially given how the godlike being in question who is an alternative is one who had worked hard to advance humanity in the short period he was around?

No. You know what people are like. Some people still don't believe that 9/11 or the Moon landing were real. Sure, those people are wrong, but they're still able to come up with all kinds of stories and "evidence" that prove their point. An alien squid that actually was a real conspiracy wouldn't take long for people to uncover. Especially since you'd have government agencies and top scientists from all over the world working on trying to figure it out. It's an incredibly stupid comic book idea. It's a deus ex squid. Nothing more.

There was a scene near the end of the movie where he's in a suit in front of congress or some other big building in DC being swarmed by reporters asking him why he did it with him very loudly yelling he didn't before he leaves. Although it's not outright stated, it's implied that in the movie the anger he was getting was what broke the camel's back on his decision to leave.

That was about his interview when it was "revealed" that prolonged exposure to Dr. Manhattan gave cancer to his friends. Although that was also Veidt's doing. You should watch the movie again.

It's not the danger it presents, because nukes present just as much danger and people (in the comic) are still willing to use them when pressed. It's the fact that it's a totally bizare and unknown creature so far removed from humanity in every way that caused the attack -- That's what's supposed to shock people into world peace.

And it's a stupid idea. A familiar common enemy has always been better than an unknown common enemy. They don't know what the squid is or where it came from or even if it was the only one of its kind. Absolutely nothing. They would have to figure that out first. And that's where Veidt's plan would fall flat on its face. People need to get over the idea that Alan Moore can do no wrong. The giant squid has always been a stupid idea.

Dr. Manhattan as a threat is great. He could come back to Earth and go along with Veidt's plan by simply saying "Yeah, it was me. I murdered millions and I'll do it again and again and again as long as you continue with this nuclear threat nonsense. So what's it gonna be?"
You think that any government on the planet would have the balls to do anything against another country after that? They'd probably lose the next elections, if the people simply don't murder them first. The politicians would be far more afraid of their own people than of Dr. Manhattan at that point because the people wouldn't want a government that puts them in risk of total annihilation.

 

[Halla Burrica]

The only good thing about this is that it MAY bring new people to that wonderful book. But please, for the love of all things holy, keep Snyder away from this. He doesn't even understand the source material, how on earth could he ever bring it to life on screen? Get some more qualified people involved.

I really just wish DC would leave it alone. Ugh.

He does not understand the material for this are you MAD?

The problem is that Watchmen is so incredibly dense that only the absolute best film makers could ever hope to capture its complexity. And most of them are busy doing original work. A lot of the philosophy was cut out of the scene with Rorschach, for instance. The chapter is a brilliant combination of psychoanalysis and an exploration of Nietzsche's philosophy. None of that made it into the film, and I don't think Snyder would have even understood it unless he happened to be well read in 19th century German philosophy.

Or how he completely missed how Ozzymandias was doomed to failure, because the world will immediately fall apart after he dies. We know this will happen because he's based on a poem about pharaoh Ozzymandias and on Alexander the Great. The film completely missed that point, and even seemed to imply that he made the right choice.

OBJECTION!(Yes I finally get to do this) I agree with nearly everything here, the comic book is a masterful and well-crafted story, and it is full of philosophical content that just wouldn't be possible to add into the movie, even if was 4 hours long. I do disagree with the notion that Snyder and the people he worked with misunderstood Ozymandias ultimate fate. In the movie Nite Owl beats him up and tells him how wrong he is in doing what he did and how shit his legacy is, then later he and Silk Spectre flies away leaving Adrian behind. The last shot we see of Ozymandias makes him look pitiful amongst the rubble, not like a triumphant conqueror of world peace but like someone whos empire is already crumbling. Also there's a statue of the great Pharao with the quote from the poem: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings. Look on my works ye mighty and despair." engraved. There is no such statue in the comic, it's only one of many quotes used in the end of different chapters. I don't think they would have used only that quote if they didn't understand the importance of it.

 

[Halla Burrica]

Really, Zack Snyder for a tv adaptation as well? Look, I loved the movie, it introduced me to Watchmen and I got about the same experience watching it as I did reading the comic book. The comic is of course more complex, but the movie definetely works on its own. I was perfectly able to understand the characters, what was going on in the world around them and the plot watching just the movie (I'm really not sure why some were unable to follow it themselves).
But just because he made a good movie of it doesn't mean HE should make a Tv series as well. This is a true classic, let other people interpret and adapt the material, let someone else give their version. It's not like they get the same guy to direct the project whenever Hamlet or A Dolls House gets brought up to the theatre, why shouldn't they give someone else the reins here?

 

[Thomas Barnsley]

I'd watch this, fo shizzle. Lot's of people go on about the philosophical meaning behind Watchmen, but being the shameless peasant I am I'd always admit to enjoying it more for it's great characters, plot, and style. For this reason I absolutely loved what Snyder did with it, it remains my favourite superhero film (except maybe for V for Vendetta, though I'm not sure I'd label that superhero just because it happened to come in a comic format).

Sure it's a bit wasteful to do another, slightly longer adaptation of the same material using the same director within a decade of its predecessor (and with the same actors? I doubt anyone will trump Rorschach, the Comedian and Nite Owl, they were pretty much perfect both in acting and looks in my opinion. Ozymandias could've been a bit older though, no complaints with a replacement there). But the entertainment industry is kind of inherintly superfluous anyway, nothing new there.

 

[Hannabella Doe]

I think it would actually do better as a TV series than a movie, since a multi-episode TV series would be able to cover more.

 

[WolfThomas]

Just as long as these isn't based off the new Watchmen comics. Gah those were bad.