I feel as if Damon Lidelof has just turned the volume of his WATCHMEN series up to eleven with the announcement that Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons has been cast to lead the pilot episode. Upon joining the alternate take on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons legendary comic book epic, THE LION KING and LOLITA actor will star beside Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens and Andrew Howard for what is hoped to be a fresh take on the classic source material.
Unfortunately, no details have been given in regard to who Irons will play for the upcoming TV series, though sources close to Deadline Hollywood have heard that he will arrive as an aging and imperious lord of a British Manor. Damon Lindelof wrote the script for the pilot in addition to his role as executive producer. Nicole Kassell, who is set to direct the inaugural episode of the planned series will also executive produce. As the show slinks deeper into the shadows of a sinful city, WATCHMEN will be produced for HBO by White Rabbit in association with Warner Bros. Television.
In recent times, Lindelof's WATCHMEN isn't the only way that the characters of Moore and Gibbons world are making pop culture waves. For the past several months, the characters of Watchmen have been infiltrating the publishing arm of DC Comics via the label's Doomsday Clock event. In short, the Doomsday Clock story serves as a direct sequel to the iconic graphic novel and concludes DC's New 52/Rebirth storyline. Framed as a 12-issue maxiseries, the event will merge the Watchmen characters with that of DC's original heroes. We're talking Batman meets Rorschach, Superman meets Doctor Manhattan, and so on. This wild integration of characters both new and old is written by Geoff Johns with art from penciller Gary Frank and colorist Brad Anderson. In other words, it's a great time to be a fan of the WATCHMEN.
We'll be sure to bring you more news related to Damon Lindelof's WATCHMEN as it develops.