I hope they manage to pull this off. The trailer was perfect.
--- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-watchmen-
> 0728_coverjul28,0,4606257\
> .story
>
> chicagotribune.com
>
> What you need to know about 'Watchmen'
>
> By Glenn Jeffers
>
> Chicago Tribune reporter
>
> July 28, 2008
>
> Who watches the Watchmen?
>
> Soon, we will.
>
> At least, that's what Warner Bros. and DC Comics are counting on
when
> their next comic book adaptation, "Watchmen," hits theaters in
March.
> Many moviegoers got a sneak peek of the film before seeing " The
Dark
> Knight."
>
> Plainly defined, "Watchmen" is a 1986 graphic novel written by
British
> writer Alan Moore ("From Hell," "V for Vendetta") and illustrated by
> Dave Gibbons. It is perhaps the most celebrated title in comicdom
and
> has been showered with accolades including a Hugo Award, science
> fiction's highest honor. Time listed it as one of its top 100
> English-language novels.
>
> "Watchmen" touched on many Reagan-era themes, including the Cold War
> and the nuclear arms race. But, ultimately, it moved comic books
away
> from the kitschy, kids-only image of the '60s and '70s and proved
the
> genre could handle more complex, adult drama.
>
> Originally released as a 12-issue limited series, "Watchmen" focuses
> on a group of retired heroes living in an alternative version of
1985
> New York. When one of them, The Comedian, is murdered, the rest
> uncover a plot that could spark a nuclear war between the United
> States and the Soviet Union.
>
> Here's what you need to know to enter the "Watchmen" world.
>
> The Characters
> Dr. Manhattan (a.k.a. Jon Osterman)
>
> Played by: Billy Crudup ("Almost Famous," "Big Fish")
>
> Trapped inside an intrinsic field generator during a test run,
> scientist Jon Osterman was ripped apart by the ensuing explosion.
> Somehow his consciousness survived, and he rebuilt himself as a
> glowing, blue-skinned being with a dislike for pants. The only
> super-powered hero in the Watchmen universe, Dr. Manhattan can do
just
> about anything, from rearranging any kind of matter to
teleportation.
>
> Interesting fact: Crudup will star in the upcoming film, "Public
> Enemies," which was filmed around the Chicago area. He'll play J.
> Edgar Hoover, who allegedly also had issues with clothing.
>
> Rorschach (a.k.a. Walter Kovacs)
>
> Played by: Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children")
>
> Wearing a black-and-white mask that resembles a Rorschach test, this
> vigilante patrols the streets of New York. Spewing conspiracy
theories
> and smelling like a trash bin, Rorschach is considered more of a
> brutal nuisance than a help. But he's the first to realize that The
> Comedian's death is more than just a run-of-the-mill homicide.
>
> Interesting fact: As in the graphic novel, the inkblot pattern on
> Rorschach's mask will change in the movie, thanks to motion-capture
> technology and visual effects.
>
> The Comedian (a.k.a. Edward Blake)
>
> Played by: Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("P.S. I Love You")
>
> Amoral, misogynistic and a borderline sadist, The Comedian took
pride
> in doling out punishment, which he served not only to criminals, but
> to protesters, women and some of his colleagues. It was all part of
> his little joke with the world. You know, the one about the heroes
> being as bad as the villains.
>
> Interesting fact: Morgan has made a career of playing characters who
> don't last through the third act, including transplant patient Denny
> Duquette on " Grey's Anatomy," demon-fighter John Winchester on
> "Supernatural," and Nancy Botwin's husband Judah on " Weeds."
>
> Nite Owl I & II (a.k.a. Hollis Mason and Dan Dreiberg)
>
> Played by: Stephen McHattie ("A History of Violence") and Patrick
> Wilson ("Little Children," "The Alamo")
>
> The first man to wear the Nite Owl mantle was Hollis Mason, a police
> officer who led the "Minuteman," a team of costumed heroes in the
> 1940s. After a successful career of crime-fighting, Mason retired
and
> wrote an autobiography called "Under The Hood." Soon, Dan Dreiberg,
an
> aeronautics engineer and lifelong Nite Owl fan, contacted Mason and
> asked to carry on the name.
>
> Interesting fact: In the book, Mason and Dreiberg meet up every
> Saturday night to drink beer, listen to jazz albums and swap
> crime-fighting stories.
>
> Ozymandias (a.k.a. Adrian Veidt)
>
> Played by: Matthew Goode ("The Lookout," "Stealing Liberty")
>
> After spending years busting up crime syndicates, the self-
proclaimed
> "smartest man in the world" hung up the tights, made his identity
> public and started a company that sold self-help books, diet drinks
> and Ozymandias action figures.
>
> Interesting fact: "Watchmen" director Zack Snyder drastically
altered
> Ozymandias' costume for the movie, replacing the character's tunic
and
> gold unitard with one that parodies the outfits in Joel Schumaker's
> much-maligned " Batman & Robin."
>
> Silk Spectre I & II (a.k.a. Sally Jupiter and Laurel Jane "Laurie"
> Juspeczyk)
>
> Played by: Carla Gugino ("Sin City," "Spy Kids") and Malin Akerman
> ("The Comeback")
>
> For the first Silk Spectre, becoming a hero was about money and
fame,
> both of which quickly followed her debut in 1939. But after a
vicious
> assault and the death of teammate Dollar Bill, Sally Jupiter retired
> and faded back into private life. But the Silk Spectre eventually
> returned: Laurie Juspeczyk, Jupiter's daughter.
>
> Interesting fact: In the book, Sally Jupiter keeps a collection of
> Silk Spectre memorabilia in her California home.
>
> gjeffers@
>
> Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
>
