Watchmen

**Green** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:01 AM

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=17410

"Based on how great his adaptation was, I’m glad to hear that Hayter is still a key part of this creative team. Having said that, I will admit that when I heard who is directing the film, I just about did a backflip."

Me too.

**MVS** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:03 AM

Will not work well as a movie at all, no matter who directs it.

**Green** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:04 AM

That's what Terry friggin Gilliam said as well, heh.

**MVS** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:06 AM

How do you take 10 hours and make it fit in 3, and still make sense? Can't.

Now, if it was a 12 hour mini-series on HBO like Band of Brothers, okay, but that would be financially stupid.

**Green** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:23 AM

One of the things that the guy who reviewed the script said is that the long in-between text segments were out. An aspect I like that I think he mentioned being taken out was the pirate comic book the kid was reading (the Black Freighter I think it was called). That could be really cool on film, oh well. Taking that into account, maybe then a 2hour plus movie could work.

**MVS** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:36 AM

That is maybe 2 issues out of 12.

Removing those will not give you a 2 hour movie.

Assume you need some sort of background on The MinuteMen, Rorshach, Dr. Manhattan, etc, etc.

It cannot be done in a movie and still explain things effectively.

**Green** · 22 Apr 2004, 05:46 AM

I was just about to look at it, but I've lent it to a friend. Maybe reading the script review in the link would help. I think the talkbacks in that go into what we're talking about. I remember people mentioning doing something similiar to Band of Brothers, and others arguing with the fat cut it's not a really long book.

**MVS** · 22 Apr 2004, 06:06 AM

This is what would be a problem, all of this you have to explain to someone who knows nothing about The Watchmen:

Death of Comedian/Who is he/why they care?
MinuteMen - can do briefly but needs a setup for who The Comedian's daughter is.
Rorshach - Visiting Molach, learns of Comedian's visit and what he says, then hunting 'mask killer'
Dr. Manhattan - Leaving Earth, World on the edge of WW3
Nite Owl/Silk Spectre - Who they are/why important.
Ozymandias - Who he is, what his role is.
Final Showdown/Karnak

Those seem like the major points, even with that minimum, I'm sure I'm forgetting things that would need to be shown to make the story make sense.

And, don't get me wrong, I would like to see it as a movie. But, when you think about the scope of what that would cost and entail, it just doesn't seem like it would accurately capture what makes the book so good (even with the text/pirate stuff gone).

About the only think that I can think of would be 12 hour long animated versions on HBO.