Watchmen (film)

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Watchmen
Directed by	Zack Snyder
Produced by	Lloyd Levin Lawrence Gordon
Written by	Comic Book: Alan Moore Screenplay: Alex Tse
Starring	Gerard Butler
Music by	Tyler Bates
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	TBA 2008^[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Watchmen is a film adaptation of Alan Moore's twelve-issue Hugo Award-winning comic book Watchmen. The adaptation is directed by Zack Snyder, who helmed 300. The film has been in development hell since the publication of the novel, shuffling from studios, directors and screenwriters before landing in Warner Bros. lap, where they hired Snyder. Gerard Butler, who had worked with Snyder in 300, will be part of the cast, and it is scheduled to shoot in 2007.

1 Production
2 Cast
3 Project history
- 3.1 Development
- 3.2 Moore and Gibbons' response
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Production

Impressed with Zack Snyder's work on 300, an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name, Warner Bros. approached him to direct an adaptation of Watchmen.^[2] On June 23, 2006, Warner Bros. announced that Zack Snyder would direct Watchmen with Alex Tse attached to write the script.^[3] For the new script, Tse drew the best elements from two of the project's previous drafts written by screenwriter David Hayter.^[4] The script did not keep the contemporary atmosphere that Hayter created, but instead returned to the original Cold War setting of the Watchmen comic.^[5] Snyder said that Warner Bros. was agreeable to the 1980s script that had been turned in. In the script, the director had also added a title montage sequence to introduce the events of alternate history United States in that time period to the audience.^[6] "The Black Freighter", a comic within the Watchmen comic, was included in the script.^[7] Snyder explained that the "The Black Freighter" was written into the script in a way that the story could be left out if necessary and not affect the rest of the film. The director hoped to include scenes of "The Black Freighter" on the Watchmen DVD release if the studio decided to leave out the story due to time constraints. "I'm totally fine with that, but I feel like that's a battle I haven't lost yet, so I'm not going to concede to it yet," Snyder said in November 2006.^[8] Similar to his approach to 300, Snyder is using the comic book as a storyboard, travelling with a copy and drawing and making notes on it.^[9] As well as the novel, Snyder cites Taxi Driver as a visual influence.^[10]

Snyder said of his plans for filming Watchmen: "There are so many easter eggs in the frames (of the comic) so you want that level of detail in the movie itself."^[5] The director said that he planned to use a combination of sets and green screens. The scenes that take place on Mars, Antarctica, and in "The Black Freighter" would require green screens, while the rest of the film would take place on sets. Snyder said that he hoped to speak to Watchmen author Alan Moore before filming, though Moore had sworn off involvement with film or television productions after his disagreement with the V for Vendetta film adaptation.^[7]

Test shot of Rorschach visible in a single frame at 1:52 in the R-rated 300 trailer

In December 2006, comic book artists Adam Hughes and John Cassaday were confirmed to work on character and costume design for Watchmen.^[11] In February 2007, composer Tyler Bates revealed that he would begin scoring for Watchmen in August, a month prior to the conclusion of filming. Bates said he would view footage provided by Snyder to create ideas for the score based on the film's characters.^[12] In February 2007, Snyder said his current revision of the script would have 2 1/2 hours of screen time.^[2] The director hopes to begin production in spring 2007,^[11] with principal photography to begin in June and conclude by September.^[12] Costume tests were being done by the release of 300, such as Dr. Manhattan^[2] and Rorshach, played by 300 associate producer Wesley Coller,^[9] which Snyder included into an R-rated trailer for 300.^[13] Although he intends to stay faithful to the look of the characters in the comic, Snyder plans to make a few updates, such as making Nite Owl look scarier or having Ozymandias wear real Egyptian armour.^[9]

Snyder wants a budget of $150 million, while Warner Brothers prefer that the budget remain under $100 million.^[14]

[edit] Cast

Actor Tom Cruise expressed interest in the role of Ozymandias to the director, but no casting decision was finalized.^[15]

It was revealed at the 2007 WonderCon that actor Gerard Butler, who worked with Snyder on 300, would have a role in the film. However the character he will play has not yet been announced.^[16] Producers Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin met with Ron Perlman to discuss playing the Comedian.^[17]

[edit] Project history

[edit] Development

In August 1986, Lawrence Gordon Production acquired film rights to Watchmen for Twentieth Century Fox, attaching producer Joel Silver to produce the project.^[18] Fox asked Watchmen writer Alan Moore to write a screenplay based on his story. When Moore declined, the studio enlisted screenwriter Sam Hamm to pen the script. Hamm turned in the first draft on September 9, 1988. Hamm, who condensed Moore's 400-page, nine-panel-a-page strip into a 128-page script, had found the task arduous. In addition, Hamm took the liberty of re-writing Watchmen's complicated ending into a "more manageable" conclusion involving an assassination and a time paradox. However, the project never took off, and Fox placed the project on turnaround.^[19]

Warner Bros. eventually bought the rights to the Watchmen project from Fox. The new studio attached director Terry Gilliam and producer Joel Silver. Gilliam, who was not completely satisfied with how Hamm's script fleshed out the characters, brought in long-time collaborator Charles McKeown to develop a new draft of the script. The second draft, which was credited to Gilliam, Warren Skaaren, and Hamm, used the character Rorschach's diary as voiceover to create a narrative and also included scenes from the comic book that were missing from Hamm's initial script.^[19] According to Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, Silver was interested in casting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of Dr. Manhattan.^[20] Silver raised $25 million for the film, a project that had been estimated to cost over $100 million. The lack of strong funding was due to Silver's previous production of Die Hard 2 and Gilliam's previous direction of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, both of which had gone over budget.^[19] Gilliam eventually abandoned the project due to the funding problems, also adding the concern that Watchmen would have been unfilmable. "Reducing [the story] to a two or two-and-a-half hour film... seemed to me to take away the essence of what Watchmen is about," Gilliam said.^[21]

After Warner Bros. dropped the project, producer Lawrence Gordon acquired the rights to Watchmen and invited Gilliam back to helm the film. Gilliam declined, believing that the comic book would be better directed as a five-hour miniseries.^[22] In October 2001, Gordon and Universal Studios signed screenwriter David Hayter to write and direct Watchmen in a "seven-figure deal". Hayter, being familiar with the project's long history, said, "[Watchmen] was considered too dark, too complex, too 'smart.' But the world has changed [after 9/11]. I think that the new global climate has finally caught up with the vision that Alan Moore had in 1986. It is the perfect time to make this movie."^[23] Hayter stated his intent to begin filming in early 2002.^[24] In July 2002, Hayter revealed that he had just completed the first draft of the Watchmen script.^[25] In May 2003, Hayter said he had Alan Moore's blessing on the film, despite Moore's disagreement with the project since its first incarnation.^[26] In July 2003, Watchmen producer Lloyd Levin announced the completion of Hayter's script, which Levin called "a great adaptation... that absolutely celebrates the book".^[27] In September 2003, Hayter stated his intention to have his directorial debut with Watchmen when he finished the writing projects with which he was occupied at the time.^[28] However, producer Gordon and the Watchmen project eventually parted from Universal due to creative differences.^[29]

In October 2003, producers Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin, who had completed Hellboy with Revolution Studios, expressed interest in setting up Hayter's directorial debut with the Watchmen project at the familiar studio.^[30] Prague was intended as one of the film locations for Revolution's Watchmen.^[31] However, the project did not hold together at Revolution Studios and eventually fell apart.^[32]

Paramount Pictures computer wallpaper of studio's failed Watchmen project

In July 2004, the Watchmen project was announced to be under the wing of Paramount Pictures. Director Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct the project based on David Hayter's script. Producers Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin remained attached, collaborating with Aronofsky's producing partner, Eric Watson.^[33] However, Aronofsky, who was also developing another film, The Fountain, dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. In Aronofsky's vacancy, Paramount hired director Paul Greengrass and set up a target summer 2006 release date.^[34] To publicize the film, Paramount Pictures had launched a now-defunct Watchmen teaser website that had a message board as well as computer wallpaper available to download.^[35] With pre-production underway, filming was intended to take place at England's Pinewood Studios.^[36] In March 2005, Empire magazine published details of its visit to the pre-production offices of Watchmen at Pinewood Studios. Detailed screen tests with Dr. Manhattan's radioactive, blue look, as well as early costume designs for Nite Owl and Rorschach, were shown to be in the process. An animatic version of the first three minutes of Watchmen was revealed, in addition to designs for the story's major locations and sequences.^[37] Graphic artist Tristan Schane had also created conceptual drawings of Dr. Manhattan for the film.^[38] At the end of March 2005, Paramount's CEO, Donald De Line, was rumored to depart from the studio, endangering high-profile projects including Watchmen. Earlier that week, De Line was in London, urging a reduction in Watchmen's budget so the film could get the greenlight.^[39] As a result of the potential budget cut with the establishment of Paramount's new CEO Brad Grey, producer Lloyd Levin planned to move the project from its home at Pinewood Studios. Levin hoped to curb the budget by producing outside the UK.^[40] Ultimately, however, the studio decided to place Watchmen in turnaround.^[41]

In October 2005, producers Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin were reported to be in talks with Warner Bros., originally the second studio to be attached to the Watchmen project.^[42] In December 2005, the producers were confirmed to have set up the project at Warner Bros. However, director Paul Greengrass was no longer attached to the project. In addition, the film was marked an "open writing assignment", which meant David Hayter's script would be placed aside.^[43] Despite this change, Hayter expressed his hope that his script would be used by Warner Bros. and that he would be attached to direct his "dream project".^[44]

[edit] Moore and Gibbons' response

In an interview with Variety's Danny Graydon, Watchmen writer Alan Moore adamantly opposed a film adaptation of his comic book, arguing, "You get people saying, 'Oh, yes, Watchmen is very cinematic, when actually it's not. It's almost the exact opposite of cinematic." Moore said that Terry Gilliam, preparing to direct Watchmen for Warner Bros. at the time, had asked Moore how the writer would film it. Moore told Graydon about his response, "I had to tell him that, frankly, I didn't think it was filmable. I didn't design it to show off the similarities between cinema and comics, which are there, but in my opinion are fairly unremarkable. It was designed to show off the things that comics could do that cinema and literature couldn't."^[19]

Moore also told Entertainment Weekly in December 2001, "With a comic, you can take as much time as you want in absorbing that background detail, noticing little things that we might have planted there. You can also flip back a few pages relatively easily to see where a certain image connects with a line of dialogue from a few pages ago. But in a film, by the nature of the medium, you're being dragged through it at 24 frames per second."^[45] Moore had opposed the adaptation of Watchmen from the beginning, intending to give any resulting film royalties to Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons.^[20] According to Moore, Hayter's script "was as close as [he] could imagine anyone getting to Watchmen". However, Moore added, "I shan't be going to see it. My book is a comic book. Not a movie, not a novel. A comic book. It's been made in a certain way, and designed to be read a certain way: in an armchair, nice and cozy next to a fire, with a steaming cup of coffee."^[20]

In an early interview with Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker, Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons said that he thought the time had passed to make a Watchmen movie. At the time, Darren Aronofsky was expressing interest in directing the film under Paramount Pictures. Nevertheless, Gibbons said, "It was most likely to happen when Batman was a big success, but then that window was lost." Gibbons also told Neon, "In a way, I'm glad because it wouldn't have been up to the book."^[19]