For the longest time, Watchmen was comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy insofar that many thought neither could be filmed. Coincidentally enough, however, both managed to be pulled off in the decade prior to this. Sure, the big budget flick based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ hallowed graphic novel saw a few changes be made to its story by director Zack Snyder, but it more than retained the spirit of the source material.
Still, with Watchmen originally having been printed as a twelve-issue limited series, it’s only natural that 100% of the content not be included in the cinematic adaptation. However, such an ambitious undertaking would be possible with a television series, something that HBO just so happens to be cooking up.
At first, we thought that the Before Watchmen prequel comics would’ve been the natural choice for this endeavor, but all signs point toward the original serving as source material. Well, that’s what we had thought up until Damon Lindelof, the chief architect behind this project, said that we shouldn’t expect a direct adaptation.
Funny enough, we couldn’t have predicted how accurate those words may very well be. Thanks to a list of character breakdowns supplied by That Hashtag Show, this iteration of Watchmen looks to tell the tale of….Oklahoma cops?
Here, take a look:
Angela Abraham: African-American female cop. Independent and intelligent, she’s also a realist. She’s married to Cal, with whom she has a daughter and is fiercely protective of them both.
Cal Abraham: African-American male who is the stay-at-home husband of Angela. While he seems at home as the king of his castle and being a loving husband and father, it’s clear his past has a different story to tell.
Looking Glass: A good looking cop, the native Oklahoman isn’t simple as his rural accent makes him appear to be. A top interrogator and behavioral scientist, he may also be a bit of a sociopath.
Panda: An ethnic desk cop, he’s cynical and tough and puts his job first. Not a friend to many, he uses comedy to keep people at bay.
Red Scare: Mafioso, track suit wearing cop. His Russian accent lends to his abrasiveness.
Pirate Jenny: An androgynous and lustful bisexual cop, Jenny is an anarchist at heart.
Jane Crawford: The wife of the police chief, Judd, Jane is a veterinarian who’s sharper than her guarded persona lets on.
Old Man: A former cop who is still an imposing figure despite his age.
So, unless the casting department is on the hunt for a host of supporting roles, our best guess is that these are code names and vague descriptions for the characters we actually know. Take “Looking Glass,” for instance: After examining his breakdown, wouldn’t you say he sounds a tad comparable to Rorschach?
To be frank, the practice of distributing fakeout casting calls isn’t uncommon in the industry. In fact, it’s often done so that casting for major roles can be kept under wraps until the studio is ready to make a formal announcement. That said, there may not be much reason to actually fret over this version of Watchmen.
