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'Watchmen' The Movie???

AfroBarber

20:04 / 08.04.03

My personal opinion is that 'Watchmen' should stay as a comic book, the film WILL inevitably be crap. If you've read it then you'll realise that it's almost impossible to make a feasible movie about it. There are too many main characters and too many crazy locations. BAD IDEA! Lets get a petition up and running to prevent anyone making the film. I love movies but 'Watchmen' should remain merely a comic.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

20:12 / 08.04.03

I read this the other day and thought "I actually think they could make a film out of this quite easily and that it could be quite good." Which is odd because everyone always says you couldn't make a film out of it.

Although of course, if they are making a film out of it, it will be awful.

Where "they" are the bad men. The bad men who make bad films.

Spaniel

20:24 / 08.04.03

God wish I wasn't such a lazy poster. Would like to say much on this topic but can't bring myself to spend the time.

But.

Important point.

Much of what is good about Watchmen references it's status as a comic book. A primary feature of the work is an attempt to deconstruct the medium and it's most popular genre.

Jack Fear

20:27 / 08.04.03

Lets get a petition up and running to prevent anyone making the film.

How about let's just not go see the movie if and when it gets made?

Jesus Christ. A little perspective, son.

Optimistic

21:08 / 08.04.03

I think a decent WATCHMEN adaptation is possible. However, I think that the only way to achieve it would be to treat the book like a storyboard and film everything. Which is impossible because of time constraints etc.

Seems to me that with a big enough budget you could make a good television programme. Mind you "With a big enough budget..."

Anyway, why has this come up now? Has someone mentioned this project again or something? Is there a new director attached to it? New writer?

AfroBarber

21:35 / 08.04.03

I've recently re-read the comic book and wanted some opinions. I think Alan Moore was going to adapt it into a screenplay himself and Terry Gilliam is the name that's kind of attached and we've all seen how calamitous his movies have turned out lately. Who's the main character? Rorschash? Jon? and why is Blake's suicide the picture on the cover of the comic? I didnt think he was relevant enough to warrant the cover art. Don't you think that the scenes from the other planets and Jon's weird glass castle would look shit in a movie, an extortionate budget would be needed. Wonder what 'The League of Extraordinary Gentleman' movie is like? might be interesting.

Spatula Clarke

22:09 / 08.04.03

See also here, here, here and here.

PatrickMM

22:11 / 08.04.03

I think it could defenitely be pulled off in a film, or mini-series. Despite being very much about the comic medium, the only thing that couldn't translate to film at all would be the juxtaposition of the pirate world and the Watchmen world, but that plot element could be dropped. I think that having Bernard and the newsstand is essential, but it could just be used in a different way.

I don't think there would be a main character, it would be more an ensemble piece, with Dan, Laurie, Rorshach, and Dr. Manhattan sharing the spotlight. I'd love to see Watchmen come at the culmination of the recent string of superhero movies, and put all the others to shame.

Spatula Clarke

22:11 / 08.04.03

Here for LoEG movie discussion.

8===>Q: alyn

22:30 / 08.04.03

I think the physical Watchmen book is practically a shooting script, but the market forces involved in turning it into an actual saleable flick would completely destroy it. In fantasy-land, where movies can be as long and weird as they want to be and all have great production values without having to worry about making a gazillion dollars in the first night, Watchmen would make a great movie. So, no, the bad men should keep their mitts off.

Why's this coming up now? I thought this was a dead horse. Is there some new heat to make it happen?

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

23:54 / 08.04.03

nevermind that the near destruction of NY will NEVER play on film

Nietzsch E. Coyote

01:46 / 09.04.03

I don't know the last near destruction of new york must have killer tv ratings attached. I don't know why it wouldn't do so again.

Axel Lambert

09:25 / 09.04.03

If they could put in a pirate 'movie-in-the-movie' (instead of the 'comic-in-the-comic') AND cast Christian Bale as Dr Manhattan and Tom Cruise as Veidt, I'd go see it!

DaveBCooper

10:28 / 09.04.03

I guess two of the reasons why Blake’s murder (not suicide) is on the cover might be :

1. It’s the investigation into his murder that opens up the story, leading to the revelations of what’s truly going on

2. As the covers of each of the individual issues (later the ‘chapter headings’ in the collected edition) of Watchmen led straight into the first panel of page one, so the cover leads straight into the body of the tale.

As for the idea of a film version, it might work if they just told the linear story of Blake’s death straight to the ‘alien landing’ etc, but then much of the richness and depth of the story (the flashbacks, Manhattan’s Mars meditations, the parallel narratives, the pirate story, the Bernies, etc) would be lost, and why would you want to make a film version which strips away much of what made the original work so appealing ? That’d never get off the ground.
Oh, hang on.

Krug

12:17 / 09.04.03

Darren Aronofsky raved about Watchmen in one interview and said in another that Watchmen is his "dream project". I'd be very interested in seeing that.

Sean Gullete as Rorschach.
Ellen Burstyn as Silk Spectre I.

But...Moore and Gibbons will not see a penny if it gets made. For that reason alone it should die.

Brigade du jour

20:46 / 09.04.03

Ooh ooh, can I just be the big baby here and blurt out that I'd be terribly excited if this movie got made, and I just don't care about the politics n money n stuff.

Ellen Burstyn? Good choice!

Catherine Keener for the Silk Spectre II.

garyancheta

03:33 / 18.07.08

Watchmen Movie Trailer

I don't know if I'm going to like this, but I do like the look of the scenes. There's something uniquely disturbing about seeing Dave Gibbons-style art move. They even have the scene where Dr M. makes building out of Martian sand that is both breathtaking and melancholic when you consider what is going to happen when he builds the building out of Martian Sand.

I don't know what to make of this movie...but I do think they might actually do the plot justice.

I just don't know how they'll pull off all the comic-specific scenes off. I mean, how do you have the whole "inserting narration over different images in order to juxtapose two things to mean one thing" motif that the comic book used?

I look forward to seeing the movie. I never thought I would look forward to seeing it. But the look of it has turned me around to at least give it a chance.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

03:35 / 18.07.08

Darling! Here's the thread for you!

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