If you think that the Christopher Nolan Batman films were gritty, well, this is the real deal.
Damon Lindelof, a creator of Lost and The Leftovers, is back, and his next series is going to be a very familiar story: Watchmen. Based on the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen has already been adapted in a movie back in 2009 - which came out to mixed reviews.
The legendary superhero story is darker than any other mainstream tale of masked crusaders who love justice. It was originally set during the Cold War and featured heroes who hated and killed each other in the name of morally ambiguous causes.
Unlike the cheerful, colourful Marvel Cinematic Universe gang, this cast of heroes includes an abusive alcoholic named The Comedian, a misanthrope called Rorschach, and an all-powerful blue being named Dr. Manhattan who no longer cares for humankind.
Perfect for HBO.
The new series will tread different ground than the original graphic novel, and it's clear from the trailer than even some of the most famous lines from the source material are being played around with.
Just how far the new series deviates from its iconic beginnings remains to be seen. It will air on HBO in October, 2019.
You can watch the first full trailer below. It dropped just hours ago at the San Diego Comic-Con.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yKq1PRvPJQ
Clip via HBO
The cast includes Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, and James Wolk.
