Watchmen: from one medium to the next

During the filming of the blockbuster hit 300, director Zack Snyder signed a deal to direct "The Watchmen." The Watchmen, written by the legendary comic scribe Alan Moore, is the best selling series of comics of all time. In fact, it even ranks among the top 100 best selling novels of all time. This isn't the first time Alan Moore's work will be turned into a hollywood script either. Moore wrote V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to name two specifically. And those two films are perfect examples of what can happen when Alan Moores comics are made into films.

On one end of the spectrum we've got V for Vendetta, which was an overall a success in many ways. The film captured everything Alan Moore was going for with the graphic novel. (although of course it had much less material as well) And on the opposite end we have the League of Extraordinary gentlemen. The movie is liked by some, but considered very lackluster by most. Now its one thing for the League of Extraordinary gentlemen to not live up to Moores standards, but it will be an entirely different thing if the Watchmen fails.

The Watchmen is filled with a plethora of characters and story lines, so determining what characters and plot lines to go with is going to be key for the film. V for Vendetta was a great film because it managed to tweak some storyline, and condense the graphic novel so that it fit into a single film while still making sense. This task will be far more daunting with the Watchmen than it was for V.

The movie is still in pre-production, but the big story going on right now is the rumored casting. And so far, the names that are popping up are surprising to say the least.

Adrian Veidt: (Rumored) Jude Law
Believe it or not, I think Jude Law is actually a solid idea for the Adrian. Adrian is supposed to be a good-looking pretty boy whose cocky and self-absorbed. Doesn't that just scream Jude Law? Secondly, Law is rumored to actually have a Watchmen tattoo. So he's clearly a fan, which means he knows how important the role is to the movie.



Dr. Manhattan: (Rumored) Keanu Reeves
"Whoa." I enjoyed Keanu as Neo, but I would never give him any acting awards. He's just not what you think of when you think about talented actors. However, Dr. Manhattan is a stiff, emotionless, and quiet character. Again, it seems like this is the role Keanu was born to play. The real question is how their going to handle Dr. Manhattan in the film. Will they go the way of the X-men and paint Keanu Blue? or will there be CGI involved? This will be one of the more interesting things to look out for. Keanu is also a big fan of Comic books, so he also has background knowledge of the Graphic novel.

Rorschach: (Rumored) Gerard Butler
If you don't recognize who this is, he was King Leonidas in 300. Butler has said that he didn't plan on being part of the watchmen cast, but Zack Snyder seems to be dead set on getting Butler into the film. Now I have nothing against Butler as an actor, actually...I know nothing about him as an actor. But I hate this idea. It's my opinion that Rorschach shouldn't even be a casted credit. Rorschach wears a mask for almost the entire graphic novel, and unless they really foul it up, he'll be wearing one for the entire film almost as well. I'm sorry to give away a spoiler so early, but yes, Rorscach does get unmasked in the graphic novel, but it didn't change the storyline or the character one way or another. I see no reason at all why the mask has to come off in the movie. However, this will just have to be something to watch out for.

Another rumor is Patrick Wilson as the Nite Owl. One key factor that goes against all of these rumored castings is age. In the Graphic Novel, all of the characters are middle-aged, and all of these actors are still in their early 30's.

My 'Dream' Casting call:
As said already, I think Rorschach shouldn't even be a credited actor. I think it would add even more mystery to Rorschach if he wasn't unmasked in the movie.

Nite Owl: Don't laugh, Kurt Russel.
He's the perfect age and look of Nite owl. The only problem would be, Kurt Russel is a little more badass than you'd want the Nite Owl to be. Nite owl is more of a nerd than anything else.

Dr. Manhattan and Adrian Veidt:
I agreed with Keanu Reeves and Jude Law already, and i still do. The two actors both loved the series and read them growing up, so I believe they'd give great performances.

The Comedian: Bert Reynolds.
Yes, he's probably too old for this character, which is a shame. Bert Reynolds in his prime would have been the best pick for the Comedian. The Comedian has a bigger, built body than all the other characters, so whoever plays him is going to have to probably add some pounds in the weightroom. (which is why I originally thought Gerard Butler was rumored to be the Comedian and not Rorscach)

I'm not going to name any actresses, because I don't feel they matter towards the overall storyline. All the women in the graphic novel were emotional, lacked depth, and seemed to cry a lot. There isn't an actress in hollywood who can't play that part.