Zach Snyder to helm WATCHMEN

Awesome, this is excellent news! The Watchmen is a incredible series, and the superheroes are just plain cool.

Next week we'll see a entry that Snyder leaves over creative differences just like all the others when it comes to this project.

A single film could not even scrape the surface of these series.

My opinion that this should be done in a 12 part mini-series remains. There's just too much material to work with to compress it into 120-150min feature film.

Yeah right. This movie will get made and be released about the same time as Atlas Shrugged and The Stainless Steel Rat. *yawn*

watchman could not be a normal studio production, No way, no shape, no how. It would have to be at LEAST a 4 to 5 hour movie, if it is going to be done well. The BEST forum for this work would be on HBO or Showtime or one of the pay channels to do it as a compact series, sort of like "band of brothers" or "from earth to the moon". This way they could adequately cover all the little subtle plots that run through the story. I think this is a movie that needs to be handled properly and respectfully, of course there will be things left out in order to fit time restraints even in an extensive production. Probably all of the exerpts from the "behind the hood" book...but even that would be okay if they took care with the overall story. I am eager to hear how this develops.

I'm interested to see how this shapes up. Apparently they are going do a new screenplay and trash the old one. New writer I noticed...

Look people, stop whining. They're going to make it into a 2 1/2 hour movie. They're not going to make it into a mini-series or anything like that, they just said that above. I want a faithful adaptation as much as the next guy, but it looks like this is the best we're going to get. None of you are going to be happy with the movie anyway because you hold this book on so high a pedestal that nobody ever, even if they made it into a 12 part miniseries and made it frame for frame the entire graphic novel would satisfy the fans of this book. Just accept that they're going to make a good movie out of a great book, sit back and watch it or don't. I love the book. I love many books. I've never seen a movie that is as good as or better than the book (except Jaws) and I doubt I ever will. The plot isn't so intricate that it cannot be done. Sure, some of the subtlty will be gone, but it will be an interesting movie and hopefully motivate people who haven't read it to seek out the source material and see what they've been missing.

And of course, it goes without saying that Alan Moore will want nothing to do with this project.

#7 - tiggericky
"I've never seen a movie that is as good as or better than the book (except Jaws) and I doubt I ever will."
Why say I doubt I ever will, if you already have?

Otherwise, I couldn't agree with you more about what you are saying.
Books have a depth to the mind that can not be portrayed. I have seen a couple movies that I liked better than the book, but normally the book had a really neat idea, but was poorly done, then someone else reinvents it into a movie and that's why it exceeds it.
If you have a great book, it just can't be beat.
This movie doesn't necesarily have to cover the whole graphic novel does it? I mean maybe they'll just start off the story and there will be more.
I've never seen the book so I don't even know if that is possible.

tiggericky: I think I'm entitled to whine when a fantastic piece of literature is about to be butchered into a 120min, stripped/stream-lined hunk of Hollywood dung.

Saying that the plot isn't intricate is patently ridiculous. It most certainly IS intricate and it most certainly will be missing more than just "some of the subtlety".

Perhaps the movie might be interesting and it may even entice some to seek out the source material, but frankly, this adaptation does NOT need to be made. At least, not as a single film.

God forbid they actually show some respect for the source material and try to film this in more than one installment.

I smell travesty.