Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen remains one of the most important and influential comic books of all time – and while it’s been adapted for the screen before by Zack Snyder in a valiant, largely-faithful 2009 effort, its latest incarnation is something altogether different. Damon Lindelof – of Lost and The Leftovers pedigree – is presenting a whole new take on the Watchmen universe for HBO, which he described as a ‘remix’ of the material.
Where the original run reflected the Cold War tensions of the ‘80s, with panels depicting the Doomsday Clock ticking closer to midnight and a near-certainty of nuclear apocalypse, the new TV series is set in the present day and looks set to tackle racism and a rising tide of white supremacy, with added masks. Most interestingly, it seems some of the original Watchmen (anti)heroes might be returning in aged-up incarnations – and Empire has an exclusive image of Jeremy Irons, looking every bit the king of kings on horseback, in his name-still-officially-tbc role. Look on it below, ye mighty, and despair!
There’s plenty of speculation out there as to who he’s playing, and while we’re unable to allude to that here, you don’t need Rorschach’s journal to work it out – a quick Google should suffice.
Read more about Damon Lindelof’s ‘new testament’ Watchmen, including new interviews with Lindelof and director Nicole Kassell, in the new issue of Empire on newsstands from Thursday 3 October. Watchmen will be available on Sky Atlantic and Now TV from 21 October.
