There are the superheroes that we enjoy seeing in movie theaters, then there’s the Watchmen. A stark difference in terms of themes and tone, HBO’s upcoming series will take a look at the world of superheroes, particularly those who hide behind a mask and how the general public views them. From Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), the series will take Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ iconic comic book series and weave in timely social issues that affect us today.

Check out the new Watchmen featurette here below.

Lindelof assures us that HBO’s Watchmen “honors the graphic novel, without making it necessary to have read it in order to understand this new story.” Again, the original touched on relevant themes about identity, patriotism, and the mortalities of achieving world peace by means of great suffering. HBO’s version, which takes place decades after the original story, sees more timely themes that relate to the social issues that are seen on the news like policing, political corruption, and identity.

In the featurette, Lindelof, director and executive producer Nicole Kassell, and star Regina King talk about the unexpected twists and turns that will be a part of the show. That’s something which Lindelof is familiar with given his time working on Lost and The Leftovers.

Here’s the official synopsis for HBO’s Watchmen:

While previous trailers have revealed that Watchmen takes place after the events of the original, it is also set in the United States in an alternate contemporary reality, in which superheroes and masked vigilantes were outlawed due to their violent methods, but some of them gather around to start a revolution while others attempt to stop it.

HBO’s Watchmen also stars Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, and many more. It is set to make its debut on October 20, 2019.

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[Source: HBO YT]