Watchmen Series Is Officially Coming To HBO

There have been rumors that HBO was considering picking up a new version of the Watchmen series, adapted for TV, for some time. Now, the company has announced it has officially green lit the show, which is being written and produced by Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of Lost and films like Star Trek Into Darkness and Prometheus. There aren't many details on the series yet, but we know it will debut in 2019.

"Set in an alternate history where 'superheroes' are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own," HBO wrote in a blog post, confirming the story will start at the beginning of the comic series, while introducing some new elements at the same time. Earlier this year, Lindelof took to Instagram explaining why the series wouldn't be a sequel or a reboot.

"Those issues are sacred ground and will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted," he said. "They will however be remixed. We are not making a 'sequel' either. This story will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built… but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates," he continued.

"It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, it must be contemporary. The Old Testament was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachev. Ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless. And speaking of Horsemen, The End of the World is off the table… which means the heroes and villains--as if the two are distinguishable--are playing for different stakes entirely."

Watchmen first made it to the screen in 2009, when Zach Snyder adapted the graphic novel for film. HBO tried unsuccessfully to get a TV series based on the story off the ground in 2014. Lindelof has a history with HBO; his acclaimed drama The Leftovers was also shown on the network, recently ending with its third and final season.

First published by DC in 1986, Watchmen is a much-loved and celebrated 12-part graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. It's credited with introducing a darker and more mature tone to the traditional superhero comic. In 2005, it was even featured on Time's list of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century.