'Comedian' Talks About WATCHMEN

By: Jarrod Sarafin, News Editor
Date: Sunday, December 09, 2007
Source: Heather Newgen at Superhero Hype

While at a press junket for P.S I Love You, reporter Heather Newgen had a chance to talk shop with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the man set to play "The Comedian" in Zack Snyder's upcoming WATCHMEN. The Superhero Hype reporter also caught up with Gerard Butler on a chance of possibly making an appearance in the pirate subplot for the DVD release even if rumors are true that the pirates arc will be cut out of the theatrical version.

To check out the interview from Morgan and Butler, click here.

The film was adapted to screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse, based on the original graphic novel by Alan Moore. Zack Snyder is handling the direction of the project for Warner Bros. It stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen McHattie and Matt Frewer. To check out the official site for some set photos, like the one posted to the left, click here.

Plot Summary: A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, "Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the watchmen?

WATCHMEN will hit theaters March 6, 2009.

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Comments/Responses

mckracken • Dec 09, 2007, 02:47am •

its been a while since I read Watchmen... what is "the pirate subplot"??

MercurialHyperbole • Dec 09, 2007, 09:11am •

The comic the guys reads at the news stand is slowly disbursed throughout the book in chunks and it's about pirates.
I just reread this for the first time in 12 years. I liked it a lot more than when I was younger, but something was apparently clear that this is not a movie.
It a deconstruction on the superhero and it is a very well told story, but there is very little that is cinematic about it. Nothing screams that would be so awesome live action.
There are a couple of action scenes, but most of the book is full of talking heads so either the movie is going to "pump up" the action which will leave less time for the immense story or it will just be guys in costume sitting around talking.
I don't know maybe it will work at least this time around I wont care how many "guys with swords for hands" Zack decides to add to the movie. Not to start a debate I thought all the comic material presented in 300 was amazing, groundbreaking, and other grandiose words, but I was torn because I thought everything Zach added was wretched, not because I'm a purist and I was upset that things changed, the scenes contained the worst dialogue, absolutely ludicrous imagery and completely halted the momentum of the film.

So maybe he'll just add a bunch of stuff, but whereas 300 was a short book with lots of action and he had that room to play with the Watchmen is long with very little happening.

20105 • Dec 09, 2007, 11:25am •

The "pirate subplot" is not essential to understanding the story. It was logical to remove it in an attept to streamline things. However, I think it's a great idea to add it to the DVD.

joeybaloney • Dec 09, 2007, 01:51pm •

I, for one, am pumped for this movie. I haven't read the book in probably 8-10 years and I'm purposely avoiding reading it now until after this comes out, so my recollections aren't that fresh.
When I heard about this, and previous attempts at adaptation, I never expected a big action piece. The book, and hopefully this film, are more mystery/thriller. This ain't no X-Men or Spider-man. I think it will translate well if handled properly (d’uh).
Sadly I can't compare the two versions of 300, as I haven't read the book yet, but I enjoyed the film much more than I thought I would. Granted, the tone I'm expecting for this is a bit of a departure for Snyder after that & Dawn of the Dead. His respect and enthusiasm for the source material is apparent to me though. People going in with the usual super hero slugfest expectations should be disappointed. It should be much more thought provoking and that's not necessarily a bad thing IMHO. Everything I've seen regarding this movie to date has me very excited.

mckracken • Dec 09, 2007, 03:18pm •

mystery/thrillers usually dont pack the seats inside a theater on a hot summer afternoon Joey...but action flicks do. Plus I dont think the studio WANTS a departure from the action genre...thats WHY they hired Snyder in the first place...because he did 300 and Dawn of the Dead "as action movies".
if they wanted a mystery/thriller they would have chosen somebody else with more of that in the resume to direct.

and this is coming from a guy who LIKES both Snyder flicks.
we'll just have to wait and see what Snyder has in store for us. I think Watchmen would be extremely hard movie to film even for a talented director who loved the source material, Snyder is a talented guy but can he switch gears long enough to deliver the goods or is hejust chasing the Hollywood dream of being the next Christopher Nolan? food for thought.

WISEGUY562 • Dec 09, 2007, 03:35pm •

I haven't read this book in years and probably won't ever read it again. I was never that impressed with it. I thought it was way too slow for a superhero comic. However I am lloking forward to see what Snyder does with this. He can't make it page for page like he did with 300. He has to condense it and hopefully add more action to it (at least for my taste).

gauleyboy420 • Dec 09, 2007, 06:51pm •

Very amped for this flick, I like what I've seen from the photo's so far. And I'm one of the readers who feels like The Watchmen elevated comics to a new level as an art form, and respected medium.
I also think it's cool to include the Pirate story in the dvd, but agree it would only drag the movie down if it was included in the theatrical version.

karas1 • Dec 10, 2007, 08:16am •

Watchmen was never a superhero comic. It was a mystery/thriller. With superheros in it. It was a deep rumination on the theory that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and the end justifies the means. And it's about a guy who destroys Manhattan in order to save the world (sound familliar Heros fans?)

The pirate comic wasn't really a subplot. It was a digression to counterpoint the story of Adrain Veidt. In the pirate comic the sailor is so frightened that the pirates will destroy his home and kill his family that he does terrible things (desecrates the bodies of his friends, comits murder) to prevent it and in the end discovers that the danger was all in his mind and his family was never in danger at all. Adrian Veidt did similar things for similar reasons.

There was really no way they COULD include it in the movie. It would bog down the main story and probably confuse a lot of the audience.

It would, however, make an exciting movie all on it's own...

ponyboy76 • Dec 10, 2007, 08:28am •

I hope that they at least have the newstand scenes in the movie, because alot of information is dispersed through them.
I really also hope that they don`t change the ending as far as the plan that Veidt executes. I`m afraid that they might feel its too cheesey to have some crazy alien monster explode in the middle of Manhattan.

gauleyboy420 • Dec 10, 2007, 11:25am •

Pony,
I think they will have the newsstand scenes. They have some cool set photos on the official Watchmen movie site. You should check them out. They are paying meticulous attention to detail on them.

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