The new ‘Watchmen’ TV series from Damon Lindelof is in production, and set photos have begun popping up online. Photos from the Macon, Georgia set do not feature any superheroes in costumes or elaborate villain’s lairs. The photos feature every day, mundane locations redecorated to make sense within the universe of the Watchmen.
First, there are store fronts for places named ‘Millennium,’ ‘Milk & Hanoi Bakery,’ and ‘Treasure Island.’ The ‘Treasure Island’ store should be familiar to readers of the original ‘Watchmen’ comics by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. ‘The Treasure Island’ is a comic book store! Check out the set photo followed by a comic book panel with the store featured!
Also featured in the photos is a pub named ‘Pale Horse.’ This is both a biblical reference (one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse from the bible story rides a pale horse) and a reference from the comic. In the comic, Pale Horse is a band, not the name of a bar.
There is also an image of some taxis painted red, white and blue. The make appears to be a Pruis! How environmentally friendly!
Another photo shows an ad at a bus stop for a TV show called ‘American Hero Story: Minutemen.’ This is a play on ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘American Crime Story,’ and could suggest that in this universe, superheroes have been turned into fodder for reality TV.
Images of cast members Don Johnson and Regina King have also surfaced. They show Johnson in a police uniform, which suggests he’s a member of law enforcement. King is playing the lead character in the show, and the released images show her on a bridge, brushing water from her car. Fascinating! You can see those images here and here.
The new ‘Watchmen’ series is not a direct adaptation of the comic stories, rather Lindelof refers to the series as a “remix”, with the story set decades after the events of the ‘Watchmen’ comic.
In a letter to fans, Lindelof said:
“The Comedian died. Dan and Laurie fell in love. Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan left it just after blowing Rorschach to pieces in the bitter cold of Antarctica.Some of the [show’s] characters will be unknown..New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising yet familiar set of eyes…and it is here we will be taking our greatest risks.”
Stay tuned for more information of the series as it becomes available!