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SDCC 2019: HBO Flexes Its Action Muscle With Their Latest Watchmen Trailer

The months following the end of Game of Thrones means there’s less of a reason to subscribe to HBO. But before you nonchalantly click “Unsubscribe”, it seems they have one more gambit up their sleeve in the form of Watchmen.

The adaptation of the critically-acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore has been on the cards for some time now, but this new trailer that just dropped at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 unveiled more juicy new bits of information.

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As we’ve seen before, this new-look Watchmen will be a fresh new take on the canon that Moore created nearly forty years ago. In Damon Lindelof’s rendition of the gritty, post-heroic age canon, Rorschach has transcended from being just one individual to an idea, and has become the centrepiece of a cult-like group that has risen up and taken the United States by storm.

It’s a relatively bold move for HBO as they’re entering the costumed ‘hero’ space with the MCU as the benchmark. The above trailer is by far one of the most action-packed for HBO who prefers to roll out more poignant and emotive spots for their titles.

Appearing on the new trailer are several never-before-seen characters that will join Jeremy Irons’ Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Cal Abraham and Regina King’s Angela Abar.

Perhaps one of the biggest characters here is Laurie Blake a.k.a the Silk Spectre II, played by Jean Smart. In the show, she will be playing an FBI agent, in stark contrast to her Silk Spectre persona in the comics. Of course, this being set after the events of the comics, we may yet see Blake reveal her true colours later on in the show.

The second big name here is Dr. Manhattan. While we’re not sure whether the omnipotent blue-skinned entity will actually make a physical appearance on the show, we do see a little of his figure on a snippet of some news footage on Mars.

Next is someone that looks just like Hooded Justice. The balaclava-and-noose-wearing hero was one of the more bloodthirsty members of the original supergroup the Minutemen in the comics. Though it should be noted this looks to be from a TV show within a TV Show. Classic Watchmen!

Another character that is seen quite frequently in the trailer is Looking Glass. Described as “a top interrogator and behavioural scientist, he may also be a bit of a sociopath.” Playing the character will be Tim Blake Nelson (Fantastic Four [2015]).

Lindelof’s Watchmen builds on the main canon of the comics, picking up from where the graphic novel left off: after the original members of the titular superhero group disbanded or died.

He also stated on Instagram about a year ago that, while the show takes ideas from the comics, it will not be a direct adaptation of Moore’s work, unlike what Zack Snyder did with his 2009 feature film.

Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament. When the New Testament came along it did not erase what came before it. Creation. The Garden of Eden. Abraham and Isaac. The Flood. It all happened. And so it will be with Watchmen. The Comedian died. Dan and Laurie fell in love. Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan left it just after blowing Rorschach to pieces in the bitter cold of Antarctica.

Watchmen will premiere on HBO, as well as HBO GO and all digital networks in Singapore sometime in October.