HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ Trailer Features Clock’s Ticking, Rorschach Masks, Regina King and Jeremy Irons – What Does It All Mean?
The first teaser trailer for HBO’s Watchmen is finally here, and Nexter.org is ready to answer all your questions about the upcoming show.
Who are the Watchmen
Source: DC Comics
Watchmen is a 2009 American neo-noir superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, based on the 1986–87 DC Comics limited series of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, we definitely recommend you to do it. Here’s a short story plot:
The story itself is set after the various mystery men have all retired, died, or found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Some, like Adrian Veidt parlayed their notoriety into corporate success. Others, like the masked Rorschach, still try to hold back the tide of anarchy in a world completely and utterly tired of their shenanigans. Meanwhile, the one genuine superhero, Dr. Manhattan, finds himself less and less concerned with humanity’s petty squabbles as his consciousness continues to expand into cosmic realms.
Source: Getty Images
And as the tale begins, one of their number – the Comedian – is found dead. Rorschach sets out to learn the truth behind the murder and uncovers a vast and seemingly sinister plot.
Is it going to be a reboot or sequel?
With a gang of vigilantes wearing Rorschach masks, the new series seems to be based around the return of superheroes–and the ensuing, potentially-apocalyptic, chaos that happens when gods from the past come back to our society.
Source: HBO
Damon Lindelof, the creator of the show, has insisted that his Watchmen isn’t exactly a sequel, but has also said that the events of the graphic novel will remain canon.
That means that the Rorschach we see in the TV show can’t be Walter Kovacs, the original Rorschach since he was blown to smithereens by Doctor Manhattan after threatening to reveal Ozymandias’ evil scheme to the world. However, it appears that the original Rorschach inspired others to use his mask for their own cause: a war on the police.
The new era of masks
Whereas masked vigilantes were once outlawed in the world of Watchmen, thirty years later it seems that masks have gone mainstream.
Prominently featured in the teaser footage and promotional images for HBO’s series are these police officers, all of whom wear yellow masks that cover their faces up to just underneath their eyes. When combined with the brims of their hats, it’s nearly impossible to discern the identity of the officer under the mask.
The police appear to be under the command of a mysterious character in a cowboy hat, who also wears a mask.
Cast
The biggest name in the Watchmen cast so far is Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, who has been revealed to be playing an older version of billionaire Adrian Veidt, better known as the former superhero Ozymandias.
Source: HBO
Joining him are Regina King, who worked with Lindelof on The Leftovers and has been cast in a lead role, as well as Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Louis Gossett Jr., Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, and Jacob Ming-Trent.
Premiere date and first trailer
There’s still no firm release date for the Watchmen TV show. Production on the pilot began in June 2018, and production on the series proper began in October 2018. It seems a certainty that Watchmen will be an effects-heavy series and will surely need lead times similar to Game of Thrones and Westworld between seasons.
A late 2019 premiere for the Watchmen TV show seems likely, though it could theoretically debut before that, as HBO is going to need another genre behemoth once Game of Thrones ends its run in May 2019.
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