Check out test footage from the 2003 Watchmen film that never was

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Before Zack Snyder finally succeeded with 2009's WATCHMEN, there had been many attempts at bringing the celebrated graphic-novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons to life, and nearly twenty years ago, David Hayter (X-MEN) was thought to be the man for the job. Hayter was originally slated to write and direct WATCHMEN before he left due to creative differences, but he did shoot a small piece of test-footage which has now surfaced.

Starring Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) as Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl and Ray Stevenson (Rome) as Rorschach, the scene finds Rorschach surprising Nite Owl in his home as he eats beans and informs him of the death of the Comedian. Featuring music by Joe Kraemer and cinematography by Tony Pierce Roberts, the test-footage isn't too bad at all and leaves you wondering what might have been, particularly with Stevenson's much different take on Rorschach. Alex Tse (SUPERFLY) was later brought in to rewrite David Hayter's script when Zack Snyder was brought onboard, but Hayter is still credited as a co-writer on the final film.

Watchman recently returned to our screens in the form of an HBO series, so be sure to check out a review from our own Alex Maidy.