Watchmen

[MacGuffin]

Snyder on Watchmen
Helmer talks budget, costumes and changes.

300 director Zack Snyder's next film will indeed be the long-awaited feature adaptation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic novel classic Watchmen, although the budget on the film is reportedly looming towards $150 million. That's quite a hefty price tag for a dark, adult comic book movie without sequel or franchise potential.

Snyder believes that he and the producers can bring the Warners film in for less than that. "I think it can. We have ideas and I think there's a way to do it," Snyder told ComicBookResources.com. "I really don't know yet. We're trying to get something together to show the studio right now and we're hoping to get that as low as we can."

The helmer cautions, however, that "none of this is real yet. The reality is that it's still an R rated movie, it's an R rated super hero movie, something that's never been tested before and no one knows what the hell that means. But I think if you went to see 300, I would hope that you'd go see Watchmen."

Snyder also commented on those recent reports that Tom Cruise was interested at one point in playing Ozymandias, saying simply, "I don't think he's doing it."

The helmer also advised fans that, while he expects his film to be faithful to the source material, they should expect some minor alterations to Watchmen when it comes to the silver screen.

"A lot of what we're doing will look exactly as it does in the book, but there are a couple of things we'll update, like the girls. Not update in the sense that it won't be 1985, it'll still be 1985, but to give them a little sexier look or to update the outfits a bit," he explained. "I think Rorschach will look exactly as he does. Dr. Manhattan will look probably exactly as he does. Night Owl will be pretty close, but we're trying to make him look a little scarier."

[Pubrick]

"A lot of what we're doing will look exactly as it does in the book, but there are a couple of things we'll update, like the girls. Not update in the sense that it won't be 1985, it'll still be 1985, but to give them a little sexier look or to update the outfits a bit," he explained. "I think Rorschach will look exactly as he does. Dr. Manhattan will look probably exactly as he does. Night Owl will be pretty close, but we're trying to make him look a little scarier."

i can live with that. as long as halle berry doesn't get involved somehow.

let's speculate who should play who!

actually, it's easier to say who shouldn't be in it: the cast of Bobby.

[MacGuffin]

Snyder Talks Rorschach Glimpse
"A start," says director.

A couple of weeks ago, keen-eyed fans noticed that director Zack Snyder had slipped a glimpse of his much-anticipated Watchmen feature into an extended trailer for his hit film 300. The sneak peek was of a live-action Rorschach, the masked vigilante from the classic graphic novel. Empire caught up with Snyder this week and asked him about the test image.

"That's actually Wes Coller who's one of the associate producers on 300," the helmer says. "So, we were knocking around the office and I told him to put an overcoat on and I took a picture. We then took it outside to Grant Freckelton [300's visual effects art director] who was having his lunch, and I asked him to knock it up for me. Put the Empire State Building there, put the moon there... it's a start, but it was really just for fun."

Empire also asked Snyder about recent talk that Ron Perlman might take on the role of the Comedian in the film. His non-committal response: "Awesome! I love Ron Perlman. I don't know if that's going to happen, but it would be cool. Awesome!"

WizardUniverse.com, meanwhile, has posited that 300 star Gerard Butler is also up for the role of the Comedian.

[modage]

Keanu Reeves and Jude Law Offered 'Watchmen' Roles, Source Says
Source: Cinematical

Last week, I posted about Keanu Reeves' new movie Night Watch. Its title recently changed from The Night Watchman to Night Watch to avoid confusion with Zack Snyder's upcoming superhero movie called Watchmen. I found it odd at the time that the filmmakers aren't concerned about getting mixed up with Night Watch, Nightwatch, or Nightwatch. Believe it or not, this title hopping is about to get even more complicated -- Keanu Reeves has been offered a role in Watchmen! My head hurts. Sources say Reeves has been offered the role of Doctor Manhattan, AKA Dr. Jon Osterman -- the "big blue superbeing" with god-like powers like superhuman strength, telekenesis, the ability to teleport, and clairvoyance. In the immortal words of Reeves himself: "Whoa!"

Jude Law is expected to take on the role of Adrien Veidt, or Ozymandias -- "the smartest man on the planet." Law is a longtime Watchmen fan, and was expected to get the role, although Chris reported a couple months ago on rumors that fellow fan Tom Cruise was interested. Little Children's Patrick Wilson is expected to play Dan Drieberg -- Nite Owl, a hero similar to Batman. Watchmen is a twelve issue graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the form. It is the only graphic novel to have been featured on Time Magazine's 2005 list of the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to the present. Zack Snyder is directing Watchmen as his follow-up to the smash hit 300. The star of that film, Gerard Butler, has been linked to Watchmen as well, but now that three of the leads seem to be nearly finalized, that may not come to pass. What do you guys think -- are these good choices?There are still a lot of Watchmen roles up for grabs, who would you want to see round out the cast?

[cron]

whoa. i'm on mars.



nothing against keanu but

KILL THIS MOVIE NOW!!

[Kal]

Keanu is great... but how the hell is Jude Law going to play the 'smartest guy on the planet'?

[MacGuffin]

Zack Snyder Assures He'll 'Find A Spot' For Gerard Butler In 'Watchmen'
Director won't deny rumors of Jude Law, Keanu Reeves and Patrick Wilson being offered roles in comic book flick.

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — A few weeks back, we broke the bad news from Gerard Butler on the MTV Movies Blog that his post-"300" schedule was looking too tight to squeeze in an appearance in "The Watchmen." But this week, director Zack Snyder assured us that he'll get his Spartan leading man into the highly anticipated comic book flick somehow.

"Yeah, we'll find a spot for him," Snyder told us on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards. "They'll let him [off the other sets for a while]; he's not gonna get out that easy."

The red-hot director, intent on using his newfound Hollywood clout to stay true to Alan Moore's refreshingly dark comic classic, also offered a promising non-denial regarding rumors that names like Jude Law, Keanu Reeves and Patrick Wilson had been offered roles. "Um — you know what? I would say 'No,' but then you'd call me later and go like, 'Dude, what are you doing?' " Snyder laughed. "I don't know who's leaking this stuff, but they're good."

Snyder is hard at work finalizing his shooting script, casting A-list stars and defending his vision against the suits who'd make the story of hunted superheroes somewhat cheerier. As he does so, he told us that he's most looking forward to shooting the opening scene of the flick. "At the beginning of the movie there's a character called the Comedian," Snyder said of the ill-fated former hero whose murder begins the story. "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."

"[We'll be shooting] up in Canada, starting in September," Snyder said of the film, which Hollywood has been trying to get off the ground for a decade and a half, under directors ranging from Terry Gilliam to Paul Greengrass. "[We'll be shooting] real soon."

Snyder also commented on those pesky rumors about a "300" sequel, saying that he'll leave the door open for whatever Frank Miller has in mind. "Hey — if Frank wrote it, and drew something cool, absolutely."

But until then, Snyder is focused on the only comic to make Time's 100 best English-language novels list, a book that many consider the greatest graphic novel ever written. "We're drawing and getting everything together, and I think it's looking pretty cool," he said, promising that we'll soon be watching the "Watchmen" movie. "It's gonna be awesome."

[squints]

I've two chapters left in the book and unfortunately I just don't see how this can be a movie. I just don't see it.

[MacGuffin]

Watchmen? Whoa!
Keanu passes on playing Dr. Manhattan.

Although Keanu Reeves was rumored to be the frontrunner to play the god-like Dr. Manhattan in director Zack Snyder's movie adaptation of the classic graphic novel Watchmen, word has arrived that The Matrix star will not be in the long-awaited film after all.

In an email to the fansite Club-Keanu.com, Reeves' longtime manager Erwin Stoff revealed that the Speed actor "was offered it and turned it down." No reason was given for Reeves' decision to pass on the film. It should be noted that Reeves is a self-professed comic book fan, which makes his decision all the more curious.

Other rumored Watchmen cast members include Jude Law as Ozymandias and Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, respectively. No word yet on how far along their potential casting may be or if they have also passed.

Gerard Butler, who starred in Snyder's 300, has long been expected to appear in Watchmen -- possibly as the doomed Comedian -- but he recently cast doubt on that possibility due to scheduling. Snyder, however, has countered that by saying that he'll make sure Butler is in the film, which begins shooting this fall in Vancouver.

[polkablues]

It should be noted that Reeves is a self-professed comic book fan, which makes his decision all the more curious.

It makes sense.  He's enough of a comic book fan to not want to be single-handedly responsible for ruining the Watchmen movie.

[MacGuffin]

Haley is Rorschach in Snyder's Watchmen?
Source: SuperheroHype!

Actor Paddy Considine, who was attached to play masked vigilante Rorschach in Watchmen back when Paul Greengrass was directing, has revealed on his official fan site that Warner Bros. has now gone out to Jackie Earle Haley for the role.

Haley received an Oscar nomination for his role in Little Children. He also recently starred in All the King's Men and played Kelly Leak in the "Bad News Bears" films in the '70s.

Zack Snyder (300) is directing the big screen adaptation, based on the 12-issue comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. The comic is a crime-conspiracy story that provided the first realistic look at the behind-the-heroics lives of superhero archetypes.

Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin are producing.

[squints]

link to a motherfucking spoiler image

I could buy it. Maybe if he grew some hair.

[picolas]

is that image a spoiler?

[polkablues]

is that image a spoiler?

Yes, very much so.

[picolas]

is that image a spoiler?

Yes, very much so.

FAQ