HBO’s ‘Watchmen‘ will be different from both the comics and film but original series co-creator Dave Gibbons feels that what is being done is “refreshing.” Showrunner Damon Lindelof had previously penned an open letter to fans to share that we should expect something different and, at the very least, he has Gibbons sold on the idea.
While Alan Moore will likely never be happy with any future adaptations of his work, Gibbons giving this his approval is a welcome surprise as the creator has been quite vocal about his disapproval of DC’s further use of their characters.
So why is he enjoying this take so far? Gibbons shared a bit while being inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame:
“I do know a little about it. I’ve had conversations with Damon, and I’ve read the screenplay for the pilot. I don’t think it’s my place to say too much about it, other than I found Damon’s approach to be really refreshing and exciting and unexpected. I don’t think it’s gonna be what people think it’s going to be. It certainly wasn’t what I imagined it to be. I think it’s extremely fresh. I’m really looking forward to seeing it on the screen.”
This clearly shows he is excited as to what will end up on the small screen. However, the big takeaway is the excitement he has:
“I’ve been resistant to the comic book prequels and sequels, but what Damon’s doing is not that at all, it’s very far away from that. While it’s very reverential and true to the source material (by which I mean the Watchmen graphic novel that Alan [Moore] and I did), it’s not retreading the same ground; it’s not a reinterpretation of it. It approaches it in a completely unexpected way.”
While no direct details of the pilot and proposed series were shared, Gibbons did reveal an aspect to the show that will have fans speculating about until it is released:
“Other people have done it with some success, coming to the basic material with a fresh approach. I feel like the comic prequels and sequels don’t really do that. They’re done by very talented people, but they don’t expand the scope of it at all. Grant Morrison did a thing with Multiversity, where he came up with some very fresh approaches to comic stories, and in one of them (Pax Americana, with Frank Quitely) they did something similar to Watchmen, but in a new way. I heartily applauded that. My feeling is that what Damon’s doing is like that, it’s not a retreading of something we already know, but it’s a fresh and unusual approach.”
I’ve been very much on the fence from this idea from the get-go. With Gibbons giving it a tentative stamp of approval for the plan, it does make me want to know more.
Are you excited for this live-action story set in the world of ‘Watchmen’? Do you have any theories about how they’re planning on telling this new story from a new perspective that is also a “fresh approach”? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Entertainment Weekly
