HBO has been working on a pilot based on Alan Moore’s classic Watchmen comic with Lost alum Damon Lindelof at the helm, and now they have officially placed an order for the series. The original comic gives us a gritty look at what it would be like if superheroes actually existed in our world. Lindelof has said that he is not doing a direct adaptation of the comic like the 2009 movie, claiming instead that his version will be a “remix” of the original story. HBO has given the following official tagline for the series: “Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.” Among the actors currently set to star in the series are Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, and Tom Mison. The network is currently targeting a 2019 debut.
One of the pilots that The CW was considering for the 2018-19 season was the Supernatural spin-off Wayward Sisters (which aired as an episode of the parent series in January of this year), but the network ultimately decided to pass on the show. That spurred a campaign from fans that tried to convince The CW to change its mind and an online petition generated over 80K signatures. Some good news arrived for those fans this week when Supernatural showrunner Andrew Dabb announced that the Wayward women will be returning in the upcoming season. There is no indication at this point on whether this is a second attempt to measure interest in a spin-off, but Dabb did say that the characters would appear in multiple episodes of the show.
More Sci Fi TV New: Ethan Peck (son of Gregory Peck) has been cast as a young Spock in Star Trek: Discovery. He will be a recurring character in the show’s second season . . . . Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, and Sarah Jones have been cast in Ronald D. Moore’s upcoming space-based series that will be part of Apple’s streaming originals . . . FOX has taken back the rights for the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer comics from Dark Horse. This likely coincides with plans to reboot the television series with a new actress in the lead role.
