HBO confirms Lindelof’s Watchmen

The 2009 film adaptation of Watchmen

US premium cablenet HBO has given the green light to a series based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen, which will be executive produced and written by Damon Lindelof.

US prodco White Rabbit is producing the series in association with Warner Bros Television and the show will be based on characters owned by DC Comics.

Alongside Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Lindelof, the executive producers are Nicole Kassell, Tom Spezialy, Stephen Williams and Joseph Iberti. Kassell will direct the pilot and Williams is also a director on the series.

Watchmen, which was first mooted in June, is set in a world where superheroes are treated as outlaws. The show’s cast will include Regina King, Jeremy Irons and Don Johnson.

The graphic novel was created by artist Dave Gibbons and colourist John Higgins alongside writer Moore. First published in 1986, it was turned into a movie directed by Zack Snyder in 2009, which Warner Bros also produced.

HBO recently ordered a TV adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time Traveller’s Wife, which was previously made into a movie starring Rachel McAdams.