Zack Snyder Almost Confirms 'Watchmen' Casting Rumors
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Comic/Superhero/Geek
I brought you some casting news last month on Zack Snyder's highly anticipated adaptation of the beloved graphic novel Watchmen. The big news at the time was that Keanu Reeves, Jude Law, and Patrick Wilson had been offered roles in the superhero flick. Reeves was rumored to have been offered the role of Doctor Manhattan, Law was rumored to have been offered Ozymandias, and Wilson was rumored to be playing Nite Owl. (The Reeves choice in particular didn't seem to appeal to the Cinematical commenters!). At the time it was just hearsay, but an interview with Snyder over at MTV.com confirms it. Kinda. Almost. When grilled about the accuracy of those reports, Snyder responded "Um -- you know what? I would say 'No,' but then you'd call me later and go like, 'Dude, what are you doing?' I don't know who's leaking this stuff, but they're good." So make of that what you will, but it's pretty far from a denial. The other big question has been whether or not Gerard Butler would be involved with the film. "Yeah, we'll find a spot for him," says Snyder. "They'll let him (off the other sets for a while); he's not gonna get out that easy." Shooting on Watchmen starts this September, and Snyder is eagerly anticipating directing the film's opening scene: "At the beginning of the movie there's a character called the Comedian. He gets in a fight with a guy that we don't know who it is, and (the Comedian) gets thrown out a window. That's what I'm working on right now, and it's pretty intense." Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen is considered by many to be the finest graphic novel ever made. Directors such as Paul Greengrass and Terry Gilliam have been circling the material for years. Do you think Snyder will do it justice? One last tidbit for you 300 fans -- Snyder briefly mentions a sequel in the article, saying "If Frank (Miller) wrote it, and drew something cool, absolutely."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-08-2007 @ 2:13PM
bgdc said...
Hack director mixed with a story that starts strong and ends predictably... I see bad things coming from this. Read the first half of The Watchmen and you'd think you're experiencing something special and unique. Get to the end and it's a tired, cliche-filled ending that's as satisfying as drinking a warm, flat cup of Pepsi.
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6-08-2007 @ 2:26PM
lrs62 said...
Nice trolling, troll.
I honestly believe you really can't be that stupid to actually think that.
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6-08-2007 @ 2:31PM
mish said...
"mixed with a story that starts strong and ends predictably..."
Oh sure, the ending of Watchmen was SO obvious. All jokes aside, I still have no idea how Snyder is going to pull this off. I really can't see how they're going to keep the same ending in there.
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6-08-2007 @ 3:08PM
Sam G. said...
I cannot, CANNOT write enough how much I want this movie never to be made. They're only going to fuck it up.
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6-08-2007 @ 2:50PM
bgdc said...
Seriously, how tired is the story of the one-time hero who has grandiose plans to save the world by causing a catastrophe?
Watchmen was tight for most of the book and then it just fell over itself with the most obvious plot device around.
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6-08-2007 @ 3:11PM
Abe said...
The casting so far actually looks pretty good, but I don't know if Snyder (or any director)can come even close to reaching the majesty of the graphic novel.
They'd have to edit down so many aspects of the plot and charactersthat I'm worried the movie will be just a straight-forwardaction/suspense flick lacking much of the moral complexity. Iactually think a mini-series on HBO or Showtime would be the best
format; give the subplots their space. I also have a hard timeimagining any actor nailing a portrayal of Rorschach, although that doesn't stop me from anticipating any casting news on him!
And for those who take issue with the originality of the ending, keep in mind that as the novel was written in 1986, a lot of the tiredness of the plot has come from other stories imitating Watchmen, most recently Heroes.
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6-08-2007 @ 3:29PM
bgdc said...
Abe, the characters are rich and complex. I totally agree about the HBO miniseries thing too. The story is too big, too vast and filled with too many subplots for it to be delivery correctly in a traditional style.
And Rorschach's casting, to me, is the most important thing for the film.
But, in 1986 that was a tired ending. Hell, people have been saying FDR allowed Pearl Harbor for 60 years. It's not a new concept or exceptionally creative.
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6-08-2007 @ 4:00PM
Richard von Busack said...
"This is Anaaaaaaarctica!"
I'm depressed and angry that more correspondents here aren't Sparta-baiting Snyder, even as he prepares to muck up one of the most important graphic novels.
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6-08-2007 @ 4:30PM
josh said...
"But, in 1986 that was a tired ending. Hell, people have been saying FDR allowed Pearl Harbor for 60 years. It's not a new concept or exceptionally creative."
I read it in 1986, it wasn't that tired of an ending. What made Watchmen interesting was the characters, and the different (for the time) treatment of the world/history of superheroes, not the specific plot twists... after all, there are only so many story structures out there, after all.
Watchmen is a bit overrated for sure, but it's still quite good.
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6-08-2007 @ 5:27PM
matriculated said...
I don't think it was the writing that made the ending bad - I think Dave Gibbons did a great job until the incident in New York. People are going to laugh if they render it faithfully here. Hopefully they come up with something that will truly freak people out and do the story justice.
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6-08-2007 @ 10:03PM
Don't Panic! said...
Can Clive Owen do 'American' ?
He'd make a great Comedian with aging makeup and a scar for the first scene. Then he could just play himself for some of the flashbacks. Without Watchmen "The Incredibles" could never had been made.
Keanu would need some "This Island Earth" forehead treatmeents before he'd make a good Doctor Manhattan.
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6-09-2007 @ 3:18AM
mike green said...
jude law as a retired superhero turned terrorist for a good cause, I just don't see it
I would prefer reeves for aveit
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