Exclusive First Look at 'Watchmen'

We were on set of the upcoming screen version of the Alan Moore classic -- and bring you early scoop.

The news that Zack Snyder was going to tackle the epic comic universe of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' 'Watchmen' brought excitement and trepidation to the fanboy world. Snyder's the guy whose vision guided '300' to unexpected blockbuster status, after all, but '300' is no 'Watchmen' -- that is, an iconic, revered graphic novel that brings to life an intricately written alternate reality of superheroes, crime and Doomsday.

''If you filmed everything, it would be a five-hour movie,'' Snyder told us. But have no fear, ''It follows the structure really closely. We flip through it to try to find out where we are. It's super close, I think.''

Shortly before Halloween '07, when we visited, the costumes had just arrived on set, Zack was filming Rorschach's bloody prison scenes, Laurie and Dan (the second Silk Spectre and Nite Owl) were storming the jail in full force, and it was clear that this wasn't your everyday hero movie.

There was a palpable excitement -- from the eager gleam in Snyder's eye, to the chatter of the men behind the scenes. Unlike the digitally created world of '300,' there were real-world sets for 'Watchmen' on its Vancouver soundstage. The Gunga Diner, nestled on a New York street in the making, was slowly coming together with plywood. Nite Owl's ship hovered in the air, its two large eyes gleaming while it waited to be finished. Dr. Manhattan's lab loomed powerfully, just waiting for the blue hero to conduct experiments.

Topped off with actors who really become their roles, 'Watchmen' looks simply irresistible from every angle. Jackie Earle Haley has become a solid, lean mass of muscle to play Rorschach. Jeffrey Dean Morgan becomes tough and slimy in the Comedian's gear. Even Patrick Wilson, who might seem too slight to play Dan Dreiberg, becomes a different person as Nite Owl. His cap comes off, his posture straightens, and he's suddenly a man of power, ripping through prison inmates.

But this is only a teaser. Stay tuned for more close to 'Watchmen''s big screen bow in 2009.

--Reporting by Monika Bartyzel

Reader Comments (page 1)

Hurm.

Must remember to investigate further.

Walter at 5:47AM on Jul 24th 2008

Ronald
it's WatchMEN, plural. I thought a fan oughta know :-)
The film looks great fot what can be seen from the trailer
Andrea (a Watchmen fan from Italy)

andrea sfiligoi at 8:52AM on Jul 26th 2008

I have waited half a lifetime for this comic book maxi-series/graphic novel to be put to film. No doubt, Zack Synder will give me the WATCHMAN visuals I crave. I just hope he can convey this complex story properly. An R rating should give him the freedom to explore the truly dark side of WATCHMAN. Wow, I can't wait for this movie!

I am a 49 year old African-American comic book reader. I have collected comics, and read them, since I was 7 years old. I love the medium and respect the efforts and labor that it takes to produce a good comic book. The best of the best should be read by all. So, it is with great surprise that I have recently discovered this fact -- many young people out there in comic book land don't even know what WATCHMAN is. I have asked 67 young people what they think of the prospect of a WATCHMAN movie. Not one of then, young men and women, knew what WATCHMAN is. I was shocked at first. And by the time I asked the last person my question I was just numb. I did tell all of them to please go to Amazon.com and at least read the reader reviews of the book. And, then buy it! You are not a complete comic book fan if you have never read WATCHMAN!

Imagine declaring that you love ice cream! You love ice cream and no one can tell you anything about it! And then letting loose this fact -- you have never tasted vanilla ice cream. Imagine that!

WATCHMAN! I need to see this movie tomorrow.

Ronald Lee Jones at 7:19PM on Aug 14th 2008

Counting down the days... seriously can't wait !

Summerose at 4:05PM on Sep 18th 2008

this movie is going to be great. the book was one of the bests books i ever read and trust me i read i lot of books.

shirley yanis at 11:39AM on Sep 25th 2008

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