Finding meaning behind the masks
Regina King’s path to starring in HBO’s new series “Watchmen” was one of faith at first sight. “It was immediate for me,” the Oscarwinning actress says, “just because Damon was sending it.”
She’s referencing Damon Lindelof, the writer/creator whose fingerprints are all over some of pop culture’s most buzzworthy moments of the past 20 years — from “Lost” to the “Star Trek” and “Alien” film franchises. He earned King’s trust when she worked on “The Leftovers,” another HBO series he helped create.
She calls him a genius and says, “He has me at hello.”
They do not expect their audience for “Watchmen” to have the same faith, though.
There’s a lot riding against the series, which is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986 graphic novel of the same name. Set in a world where superheroes altered the history of the world (Vietnam War, Watergate, etc.), the story, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, reflected the neuroses of its time (nuclear fear, powerlessness in the shadow of authority) while satirizing the idea of the superhero. It won a Hugo award and became a beloved property that Moore deemed unadaptable (he refuses to have his name attached to any “Watchmen” related content he doesn’t approve of ). But then, of course, DC Comics adapted it with a 2009 film directed by Zack Snyder that wasn’t of interest to anyone but the fans — and even they weren’t all sold on it, or this new series.
Still, Lindelof isn’t trying to replicate what Moore created. “I couldn’t make that, nor would I want to,” Lindelof says during a recent phone call.
Series premiere Sunday, Oct. 20. HBO