Damon Lindelof, the creator of Lost and The Leftovers, has begun casting his next project for HBO, an adaptation of the seminal graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons in the eighties. Regina King, who also appeared in The Leftovers, is set to star alongside actors Don Johnson (Miami Vice), Tim Blake Nelson (Lincoln, O Brother Where Art Thou?), Louis Gossett Jr. (Roots, An Officer and a Gentleman), Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby), and Andrew Howard (Limitless, Taken 3), Varietyreports.
Lindelof has also revealed a few more details about the project this week. In an open letter to fans posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Lindelof said that unlike the polarizing film version, he is not creating a direct adaptation of the twelve issues of the graphic novel. “Those issues are sacred ground and will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted,” he wrote. “They will however be remixed, because the bass lines in those familiar tracks are just too good and we’d be fools not to sample them.”
Lindelof’s story will be set “in the world its creators painstakingly built” but the story will be original. “Some of the characters will be unknown,” he continued. “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.” Lindelof added that his version "has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. More importantly, it must be contemporary.”
Lindelof is serving both as writer and executive producer of the Watchmen-inspired series.
