Watchmen

Latest Updates on: Watchmen

Watchmen Updated:

Monday 19th December 2005: Movie News: Watchmen: Item Posted by: Gary Gray: Paramount stuck it into turnaround when they had their regime change earlier this year and it was widely thought that was the end of any hope of a Watchmen movie. BUt no, the tale isn't yet over for probably the greatest graphic novel ever with the news today that Watchmen has been picked up out of development hell by Warner Bros. Unfortunately director Paul Greengrass and writer David Hayter are no longer attached, but the producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin have moved over. I'd guess Warner Bros. are thinking they might have a big hit with V for Vendetta and are looking to capitalise on that with the next Alan Moore story.

4th April 2005: Movie News: Watchmen:
News Item Posted by: Loretta Francis According to Variety, the production of "The Watchmen", which has been in preproduction in the UK for the last few months with Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy") scheduled to direct, may be in trouble. The movie's budget was slated to be in the $100 million range and was scheduled to begin filming in June. Now, reports state that Paramount's new executives have cut the budget, and some crew members have been released. Also the producer Lloyd levin has revealed that they are now looking to film the movie somewhere else instead of the UK due to the crap dollar to pound exchange rate and the recent tax changes. It is hoped this will significantly cut the budget to keep the production going.
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1st April 2005: Movie News: Watchmen:
News Item Posted by: Gary Gray The jungle drums are banging that Paramount are looking into cutting the budget down for Watchmen quite a bit, putting the entire project at jeopardy. No official word on this yet, no doubt we'll hear more on this soon.
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16th March 2005: Movie News: Watchmen:
News Item Posted by: Gary Gray The Director of Watchmen Paul Greengrass has just done the first part of a massive interview where he discusses preparing the production of what could possibly be the most complex superhero movie ever. Click Here
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1st March 2005: Movie News: Watchmen:
News Item Posted by: Gary Gray Rumour is sweeping the net that the first casting for Paul Greengrass's adaptation of the gargantuan comic book Watchmen will be a certain Joan Allen. Word has her being signed up to play The Silk Spectre also known as Sally Jupiter. If it's true could a quality piece of casting.
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Friday 19th November 2004: The Watchmen update:
The Bourne Supremacy director Paul Greengrass is likely to helm the adaptation of The Watchmen by Alan Moore since Darren Aronofsky left the project. Look out for a 2006 release.

Thursday 4th November 2004: The Watchmen update:
Darren Aronosfky won't be directing The Watchmen due to scheduling conflict with his project The Fountain.

Thursday 30th September 2004: Watchmen update:
Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead may be in Watchmen. He has read the script and is interested in a role, specifically Rorschach. -UGO via Superhero Hype

Friday 23rd July 2004: Watchmen Update:
Paramount Pictures have picked up the rights to the Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen which is being developed by director Darren Aaronofsky and writer David Hayer.

Thursday 22nd April 2004: Watchmen Update:
Screenwriter David Hayter has mentioned that Darren Aronofsky is attached to direct the comic adaptation of Watchmen. Lloyd Levin produces for Revolution Studios.

Thursday 11th December 2003: Watchmen Update:
Word reaches us that the Watchmen production is being pencilled in for filming in Prague sometime next year.

Thursday 17th July 2003: Watchmen Update:
Producer Lloyd Levin has revealed that David Hayter has finished a script
for Watchmen and that he is looking for Hayter to direct "We have a script.
And we have a great adaptation by David Hayter that absolutely celebrates
the book. It's a great adaptation of it. It's very faithful. We're talking
to David about directing the film"

Monday 5th May 2003: Watchmen Update:
Writer David Hayter has been talking about the LONG in development Watchmen adaptation "I was drawn to the work because of the depth and complexity of the characters, who are very real people dealing with the issues that I had always thought about as a kid reading comic books: what does being a superhero do to your life? What does that do to your psychological makeup when you're given that power (or when you take that power)?, (Watchmen) is very circular, immensely satisfying as both a mystery and an adventure. I think that Watchmen is the finest example of comic book writing that's ever been. tried to reach back into my head when I was fifteen years old and say to myself, 'What really blew me away about the Watchmen and how do we capture that?' That's what I want to transfer to the screen, as opposed to the intricate construction of (Moore's comic book). That's where you'll find the most differences [between the comics and the film], made a great effort to keep it the way it is in the book, and try to come up with filmic devices that will give you the same feeling of movement and effect. I had to change the ending, for example. I can't get too specific here, but the ending of the book is incredibly bloody and gory, and involves thousands and thousands and thousands of dead bodies. You can't do that on screen. Nobody will give you $80 million to do it. It's just too ugly."

Tuesday 22nd April 2003: Watchmen Update:
David Hayter the writer of X2 has reportedly just turned in his 2nd draft for the “war and peace” of comics the Alan Moore classic Watchmen. He says "It will go to the studio this week and then hopefully we'll get started on prep -- hopefully. I am extremely happy with it." All I can do is pray that he was able to trim the story down without losing too much of the back stories that let us develop a real like of the characters especially Rorschach aka Joseph Walter Kovacs.
Item: Mark Lerch

Movie adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, this has been in development for many a year, this page documents that hell and tries to see if any light is on the horizon for this classic story.

OK, History , Alan Moore took a jaded set of comic book characters and fused them into a post modern take on the superhero world. The plot is huge and the detail immense. How the artist was able to jam everything into it that Moore asked for, I still am amazed at. It is a work of pure brilliance. If you have not read this story yet, put it at the top of your reading list and find out that comics are not just for kids.

The Watchmen project has been in the hands of producer Larry Gordon who has been working on it, since taking over producer reigns from Joel Silver. The first and main director to have been involved with the project was Terry Gilliam. But one major problem was the budget $100 million. Now today that really isn't that much of a problem is it? But back in 1988 that was a major problem. Titanic hadn't happened and the studios were totally scared of spending that money on a movie without any NAME actors attached.

Gilliam toiled away on the project going through over at least two screenplays and rewrites by Sam Hamm. From what we have heard of the screenplay it appears to be quite faithful, apart from cutting down the Silk Sceptre to only being one role. The ending was totally changed as well and not as cold and magnicient as Moore's story.

Alan Moore had been asked to get involved with the screenplay by Gilliam , but he apparently refused stating that the script was unmakeable. But Gilliam continued to work on it in the hope that it could get made. He eventually came round to the view that unless it was three and a half hours long then it wouldn't be poosible to cram everything in. Again this was all before Titanic, made long movie and massive budget not just possible but profitable again.

And so the project has lain in development mire since, Sam Hamm stating in 1988 that he reckoned if the project was made now that so much of it would have to be changed due to the Cold War references. But in the year 2000 maybe things will look up X - Men has came along and made comic book movies fashionable again, the script is in place, Lawrence Gordon is still on board as producer. We can but hope.

Update - This may have been Terry Gilliam taking the piss, but at a recent film festival he was quoted as saying that after he made Good Omens he might make a Watchmen movie, but only if he could make it twelve hours long! Personally I think he means he couldn't make it, as how many cinema's would show that?

More News on Watchmen as we get it!