Lindelof hasn’t “made peace” with Alan Moore not supporting Watchmen series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Comic book writer Alan Moore has always distanced himself from adaptations of his iconic WATCHMEN series, and that applies just as much to the 2008 movie from Zack Snyder as it does to HBO’s new series from Damon Lindelof (THE LEFTOVERS, PROMETHEUS). Despite not having the author’s loving blessing, Lindelof is stilling moving full speed ahead with his show, embracing what he described as a “F—k you, I’m doing it anyway” spirit.

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The topic over Moore’s objection to the series was brought up while Lindelof and HBO president Casey Bloys were at the Television Critics Association recently, the latter admitting Moore is “not thrilled” about the series being made (via EW). Before he shared his more direct stance on approaching the project Lindelof got honest about how he feels about Moore not wanting to be involved.

“I don’t think that I’ve made peace with it. Alan Moore is a genius, in my opinion, the greatest writer in the comic medium and maybe the greatest writer of all time. He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t want to have any association or affiliation with Watchmen ongoing and that we not use his name to get people to watch it, which I want to respect.”

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But that isn’t stopping Lindelof from charging head-on into the series, saying that by doing the series, and in the way he wants to do it, he is in fact channeling the rebellious spirit of the author himself.

 “As someone who’s entire identity is based around a very complicated relationship with my dad, who I constantly need to prove myself to and never will, Alan Moore is now that surrogate,” Lindelof jokes. “The wrestling match will continue. I do feel like the spirit of Alan Moore is a punk rock spirit, a rebellious spirit, and that if you would tell Alan Moore, a teenage Moore in ’85 or ’86, ‘You’re not allowed to do this because Superman’s creator or Swamp Thing’s creator doesn’t want you to do it,’ he would say, ‘F— you, I’m doing it anyway.’ So I’m channeling the spirit of Alan Moore to tell Alan Moore, ‘F— you, I’m doing it anyway.'”

Lindelof acknowledged his words were a bit of "clickbait", and that he does have a "tremendous amount of respect" for the source material and will bring that respect to his series. On that note, he did share some details about the series' setting, saying that it takes place in a sort of alternate 2019, fit wth a celebrity president of its very own in Robert Redford, and where America is free of the internet and social media (via Collider). “It is not supposed to be a world that you recognize,” Lindelof said. “What is actual history and what is alt-history and things start to get blended in the middle."

WATCHMEN hits HBO in October.