I got a chance to visit the WATCHMEN set in Vancouver around what feels like a decade ago. I’ve hit more than a few set visits over the years, and one thing that almost always holds true is that you leave wishing they’d shown you more. I’m a huge fan of the graphic novel on which WATCHMEN is based, so I figured that no matter how little they showed us I’d be geeking out pretty strong, and no matter how much they showed us it wouldn’t be enough.
I was right on the first thought and oh so wrong on the last.
I’ve never covered a movie where they gave us so much access. We chatted with director Zack Snyder for about 30 minutes while also shooting a scene.
I picked up all sorts of tasty goodies to share with you schmoes, but the studio has us embargoed until there’s a new U.S. President as far as I can tell. Hopefully the joint efforts of the film’s Official Site along with everything the studio presents at Comic Con won’t make what I learned depressingly obsolete. BUT they have given the go ahead to drop a preview of what’s in store. After I share those (hopefully) tantalizing tidbits, I’ll let you know what I think about the movie’s prospects based on what I saw.
– Talked to a lot of the talent, including director Zack Snyder and stars Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman and Jackie Earle Haley.
– Saw two scenes from the prison riots that centered around Rorschach, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. I was grinning ear-to-ear after watching both.
– Discovered that Jackie Earle, believe it or not, is sporting guns so big he’s going to inspire a Rorschach workout craze the way the 300 workout took off.
– Look at 5 different pre-visualizations of key scenes from the pic including Vietnam, Mars and Karnac.
– Toured the art and prop department which included a look at a photo that seems to answer how they plan to end the film. It’s a bit different from the graphic novel, but keeps the spirit intact. Must resist…urge…to tell more….
– Walked on to the motherf#cking Owl Ship! And promptly made a mess in my pants.
All that and then some. Unfortunately we did not get to see Rorschach in costume, or hear his voice. And tragically, Carla Gugino was not around that day. But sprinkled in were other tasty goodies like Dr. Manhattan’s Lab, a delicious visit to craft services, and an impromptu run in with Malin Akerman at the coffee table before she slipped into her Silk Spectre II costume.
Now is the flick itself going to kick ass? Let me put it this way. Imagine, if you will, a world in which all men love BJ’s. I know it’s a stretch but try to stay with me. Now those BJ’s, while always awesome in concept, are offered up with varying degrees of skill and thus result in widely divergent levels of satisfaction (there is such a thing as a bad BJ). But a BJ done right can change your world.
So now imagine that Hugh Hefner teams up with Jenna Jameson and Larry Flynt to create The BJ Valley. It’s populated fully by top tier professionals who truly love all aspects of their work and have dedicated their lives to perfecting and performing the oral arts. And your ticket to visit The BJ Valley costs about $10.
Sound awesome? Well my friends, based on what I got to see I have a feeling that WATCHMEN is going to be The BJ Valley of comic-to-screen adaptations. So get your wallets and your boners ready. To paraphrase Eugene O’Neill – The Geekgasm Cometh.