HBO Reveals First Look at Watchmen – Highlights Jeremy Irons’ Ozymandias and Teases Rorschach?
HBO released a first look at their new 2019 line-up which includes Watchmen and a first look at Jeremy Irons, who will be playing a much older Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias.
Take a look. The Watchmen bit begins at around the 13 second mark. Not only does it give us a good look at Irons’ Veidt, but he also declares, “It’s only just begun.”
https://youtu.be/Y7vrjkheBt8
What might be even more interesting about this super brief Watchmen promo is that it appears to also hint at the presence of a new Rorshach or at least a potential copycat.
If the figure at the 19 second mark of the clip is in fact a Rorschach copycat, it wouldn’t be the first one. Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank created a successor to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Rorschach in the ongoing Doomsday Clock series. The Rorshach successor, Reggie Long, would actually be the son of the psychologist Malcolm Long, who interrogated the original Rorschach, Walter Kovacs, while he was imprisoned.
It’s more than likely this version will not appear in HBO’s upcoming Watchmen series.
The Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof revealed in a letter to fans of the upcoming show that there would be major changes to the story indicating he was not planning on actually adapting the original twelve issues by Moore and Gibbons.
Lindelof explained that the original Watchmen issues were his team’s Old Testament. He maintained that the events that took place in Watchmen did happen.
“The Comedian died. Dan and Laurie fell in love. Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan left it just after blowing Rorshach to pieces in the bitter cold of Antartica.
To be clear. Watchmen is canon.”
However, he also indicated he wasn’t creating a sequel. He notes “this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, it must be contemporary.”
Lindelof clarifies what comtemporary means writing, “The Old Testament was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gobachev… ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless.”
He did reveal a little bit of what the show will introduce:
“Some of the characters will be unknown. New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revist the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising, yet familiar set of eyes… and it is here where we’ll be taking our greatest risks. Risk is imperative. I need the feeling in my stomach before I leap from a great height without knowing the depth of the water below. If my body should shatter upon impact, at least it was in pursuit of glory.”
Given the fact that Irons has been revealed to play Ozymandias, it’s quite possible that “familiar set of eyes” is Adrian Veidt. However, a newspaper from the set of Watchmen blares a headline, “Veidt Officially Declared Dead.” It’s highly likely that Veidt has faked his own death. The character is known for creating massive illusions. In the original Watchmen comic series he faked an alien invasion that destroyed New York City killing tons of people.
Watchmen is expected to debut sometime this year on HBO.
Are you interested in checking this series out? What kind of plot and story are you expecting?
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