HBO has found a director for the pilot of its upcoming comic book adaptation Watchmen. Showrunner Damon Lindelof has tapped Nicole Kassell, one of the directors behind The Leftovers, to helm the pilot episode of the series. According to Deadline, Kassell will also executive produce the pilot alongside Lindelof.
The upcoming HBO series will be the second time the graphic novel was adapted for the screen, following Zack Snyder’s 2009 film. The Watchmen have also been introduced into the main DC Comics continuity in Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Doomsday Clock, giving the renowned graphic novel’s characters even more mainstream exposure ahead of the television series.
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Speaking at a presentation during the TCAs, HBO president Casey Bloys revealed that he had gotten his hands on Damon Lindelof’s screenplay for the pilot, which means the show is progressing apace. “I’ve read the script, it’s amazing,” Bloys said. “I’m thrilled, I imagine we’ll shoot that this year.” With a script and the recent appointment of Kassell, HBO’s Watchmen may be nearing production.
Created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen is the story of an alternate history in which superheroes first emerged in the 1940s, drastically altering the course of history. Set in 1985, as the United States and the Soviet Union inch ever closer to World War III, the comic centers on the investigation into the murder of the former costumed government agent the Comedian, which leads to the discovery of a deadly conspiracy to defuse the powder keg and bring peace to the world at the expense of millions of lives.