8 Things Watchmen TV Show Must Do Differently To Zack Snyder's Film

Maybe it's a good idea to depart from the source material...

watchmen billy crudrup
Warner Bros.

Well, it's happening folks. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen - the book everyone keeps on saying can't be adapted to screens big and small - is getting a TV show, courtesy of Lost alum Damon Lindelof.

This'll mark the second time, of course, that the book has made the page-to-screen transition, having already done so in 2009 thanks to the efforts of Zack Snyder. Without getting into the myriad of reasons why the film can barely touch the book (seriously, why are we still having this conversation?), there are certain things it did - and didn't do - that assured a divisive response awaited its release.

Now, ignoring the fact that Moore and Gibbons' seminal 1986 novel is nigh-impossible to adapt to either mediums, there are certain ways to translate the Watchmen license to another setting. Granted, Moore won't be pleased, but there's plenty in his universe that lends itself well to a cinematic format - just not the main story itself.

Indeed, DC themselves have mined the world before in Before Watchmen, exploring the narrative surrounding the Minutemen and the exploits of Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl. Although controversial at the time, many of the stories produced in that event really got to grips with Moore's world in a totally respectful way; Darwyn Cooke's Minutemen series is a testament to that.

There are plenty of avenues for the Lindelof-led production to go, but staying away from the Synder's work would serve them well.

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.