Manlio Rules

WARNING: unless you are a huge geek and comic book lover and intimately familiar with Alan Moore’s Watchmen, this post will probably mean very little to you. Also, if you haven’t read Watchmen, but want to someday, you should skip this because i’m going to talk liberally about the plot.

So, now that that’s out of the way:

So, they’re going to make a Watchmen movie. and it sounds like they might actually complete it this time, because the guy who’s doing it has some buzz with 300, which has been getting mediocre reviews, but everyone i know who has seen it loved it. so there’s that. Plus Sin City did moderately well, and that certainly helps.

the Director speaks

Terry Gilliam suggested that a 12 hour miniseries would be more appropriate, and that is why he’s a genius. In my opinion, the trouble with filming Watchmen is that there’s too much material in the graphic novel for 2-3 hours. Aside from the dual storylines of Rorshach and Dr. Manhattan, you also have a few of the side plots with the newsstand guy and the doctor, plus the cops. all of these are important to the overall continuity of the story, but clearly some of it would have to be cut. I would personally scrap the pirate comic within a comic storyline, as i find it to be heavy-handed as a metaphor for Veidt’s journey, and not particularly compelling in its own right. it works in the comic because it’s a total change of artistic style and color, and fills the drab panels with some bright colors.

the other problem with Watchmen is the cast. Because of flashbacks, several of the cast members have to be able to portray age ranges of 18 – 60 (Comedian, Sally Jupiter). it’s possible to compensate a bit for that with makeup and subtle costume changes, but it’s still daunting. And then you have the V for Vendetta issue of the (arguably) main character having a mask over his face for most of the movie, making it difficult to register emotion. that’s easier in Rorshach’s case because one could play him pretty flat and it would pretty much get the job done, but it’s still a pain. During the Panda Sessions (2000 – 2001), PT and i argued endlessly about the cast, finally reaching consensus that we just needed Gary Oldman to play every role. i’m not even kidding, that’s what we decided was best.

but i’m going to take another crack at it. I solicited PT’s help, but the bastard hasn’t returned any of my emails. that’s ok, i’m sure he’s busy staking out Fenway Park for extra red sox tickets.

here’s my first foray:

Rorshach – Gary Oldman (really the best place for him). I would also accept Willem Dafoe, who gets points because he’s short.
Nite Owl – i’m a bit lost for this one. Stephen Frye?
Comedian – Russell Crowe. can play 20 – 60 and is big
Laurie – Angelina Jolie. I know, contrived. i don’t have a better answer
Laurie’s Mom. Nicole Kidman. also can play 20-60, redhead
Dr. Manhattan – i would do it with CGI, but the actor base should be someone like Tim Daly.
Adrian Veidt – another tough one, though his character is very similar to current interpretations of Tony Stark. Daniel Craig is an option i think.