DC's Watchmen TV Show Given Pilot Order By HBO

The TV adaptation of the classic DC graphic novel Watchmen has been given an official pilot order by HBO. Earlier the week, writer and producer Damon Lindelof teased the project on Instagram, but now Deadline has confirmed that the network has greenlit a pilot.

The site also clarified that the image posted by Lindelof was of the writer's room for the show, which officially opened on Tuesday. It wasn't initially clear how far along the project was, but we now know that it is at the very start of the writing process. Although it is currently unknown who will be collaborating with Lindelof, Deadline states that HBO has also ordered scripts for additional episodes.

Lindelof's acclaimed drama The Leftovers was also screened on HBO, and it concluded its third and final season this past summer. His other writing credits include Prometheus and Star Trek Into Darkness, and he was the co-creator and joint-showrunner of Lost.

Watchmen was first published by DC in 1986 as a 12-part limited series. It was written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and is widely considered to be one of the greatest comic books ever released. It helped usher in a new, more mature approach to mainstream superhero comics, and in 2005, it was featured on Time's list of 100 greatest novels of the 20th century.

A film version was in the works for many years, and 12 Monkeys director Terry Gilliam was attached at one stage. In 2009, Zack Snyder directed a Watchmen movie, which was a modest success, making $185 million at the worldwide box office.