In case the release yesterday of the first Watchmen trailer isn’t enough to hold you, the new issue of Entertainment Weekly – the magazine’s Comic-Con special — complete with photos, and a look at the project’s long, bumpy history and director Zack Snyder’s efforts to stay true to the comic:
Over many months, and many meetings, Snyder persuaded Warner Bros. to abandon the Greengrass/Hayter script and hew as faithfully as possible to the comic. The key battles: retaining the ’80s milieu, keeping Richard Nixon (Moore did consider using an era-appropriate Ronald Reagan, but worried it would alienate American readers), and preserving the villain-doesn’t-pay-for-his-crimes climax. ”It was clear that Zack felt an intense obligation to the fans and the book,” says Warner Bros. Picture Group president Jeff Robinov. ”There was definitely a conversation about the best way to make it contemporary and relevant to today. Zack felt the best way was to go back to the roots of the novel.”
The article also states that Snyder’s current three-hour cut won’t be the version we see next March; two hours and 25 minutes is more likely.
Related: The Watchmen trailer’s “Spielberg-homaging Easter egg”
