Seeing that the original Watchmen had been a critique of contemporary society back in the 80s, a lot of people are kind of expecting the same thing with HBO's Watchmen. With the social climate of 2019 leaving every entertainer walking on eggshells, showrunner Damon Lindelof comments on how his show will tackle hot-button issues.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Lindelof was asked to comment on star Regina King's statement that the show will be diving into modern social issues, and at the same time leave things to be open to interpretation. Lindelof replied:
"The read is completely accurate and yeah it freaks me out. But when I'm freaked out is when I get excited. I can't write or create from a nervous scared space. If you stop and try to talk yourself out of doing something that might be upsetting or might make people onerous or confused or uncomfortable you're never going to do anything interesting."
Seeing that the original Watchmen was already a subversion of the superhero genre, it would be completely on-brand for the show to try and take its own risks. Lindelof continues, "You have to jump in with some degree of forethought and responsibility and then afterward you can ask yourself why you did it… The time for contemplation is not at the edge of the diving board because going back down the ladder is worse than the distance to the pool."
If anything, I always expected Watchmen to have some controversial opinions that not everyone will agree with. With a lot of creatives feeling silenced by political correctness nowadays, it's kind of refreshing to see something like Watchmen be aware of the risks and taking a stab at them anyway.
Catch Watchmen when it premieres on HBO on Oct. 20.
Read Also: Damon Lindelof Says HBO's Watchmen Series Is A Sequel, Not A Reboot
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
DC