It's been the worst kept secret on the interwebs for over a week now, but Warner Bros has finally confirmed the cast for Watchmen, or 'The Citizen Kane of Comic Books', as contractual obligation requires we call it.
For those not in the graphic novel know, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen is set in an America where superheroes have been outlawed. The plot centres on Rorschach, a vigilante superhero who is investigating the murder of fellow super The Comedian. His investigations lead him into government conspiracies, which at the time the book was created echoed Reagan-era distrust and will now, presumably, echo...well, you do the maths.
The cast are not massive names, but are, certainly of those with whose work we're familiar, very fine actors. The cast is as follows:
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) will play Rorschach, aka Walter Kovacs.
Patrick Wilson (also Little Children) will play Nite-Owl, a technical wizard who flies an owl shaped flying vehicle.
Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) is Dr Manhattan, a man with godlike powers who in the book is blue and nekkid.
Malin Akerman (upcoming Farelly brothers movie The Heartbreak Kid) is The Silk Spectre aka Laurie Juspeczyk, token female superhero of the band who resents being the token female and was once involved with Dr Manhattan.
Matthew Goode (Matchpoint) will play Ozymandias aka Adrian Veidt, a hero who voluntarily retired and revealed his identity and then made a fortune. He believes Manhattan is going to cause a global catastrophe.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey's Anatomy) is The Comedian, murderous gun-toting vigilante-turned-paramilitary.
Zack Snyder, who's set to direct the movie in Vancouver this autumn using similar methods to 300, will be in Comic-Con over the weekend, so check back for more details on Monday.
So what do you think of the cast? Awesome? Too young?