In news that’s sure to disappoint many, Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof has admitted the chances of a second season are low. The HBO series takes the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons material into fascinating places, updating its setting to the present, and telling a weird if always compelling story about race and power in America. However, a Watchmen season 2 was never a foregone conclusion, and Lindelof has now distanced himself from returning to the material, albeit without dismissing the chances of someone else taking on the series.
When asked by USA Today about the show, Lindelof reportedly confirmed he’s told the story he’d planned and doesn’t want to do a second year, although he has given his blessing to HBO if they want to hire a new producer. At present though, this move seems unlikely, based on comments by HBO executive Casey Bloys:
“It would be hard to imagine doing it without Damon involved in some way. If he has an idea that he’s excited about, then I’m excited; if he wants to do something else, then that’s what I want to do…the one thing Damon has been clear about is he doesn’t see a continuation of this story…”
This decision may well be frustrating to Watchmen fans who felt that the first season ended on a cliffhanger, and that there’s more that the show could do with the characters it introduced. The most likely return for the series seemed to have been in an anthology format exploring new characters and settings, but this may also now be unlikely. Still, given the impact that Watchmen has had with fans, including a certain former President, we wouldn’t be surprised if another live-action adaptation will happen without Lindelof.
To be fair to Lindelof, his past experiences on Lost may have warned him against trying to maintain the freshness of a show built on big ideas. However, the producer did manage three seasons of The Leftovers for HBO that represented a wide range of tones and stories, so the prospect of an anthology approach to Watchmen wasn’t out of the question. Lindelof now appears to be working towards his next big project though, following the controversy over last year’s shelved The Hunt. We’re certainly keen to see what he does next, although another year of Watchmen would have been much appreciated.
