Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen changed the shape of superhero comics for decades to come after it was first published by DC Comics from 1986 to 1987. After the film adaptation spent decades in development hell, Zack Snyder brought Watchmen to the big screen in 2009. Later this year, Watchmen is getting a mulligan from Warner Bros. Animation with a two-part adaptation. Now, the first teaser trailer for the Watchmen animated movies has arrived.
The trailer recreates a handful of iconic moments from the comic, including the murder of The Comedian, Doctor Manhattan’s appearance in Vietnam, and Rorschach’s investigation into a possible “cape killer.” The animation style of the movie doesn’t quite recapture the incredible details in Gibbons’ artwork, but it seems to be largely true to the spirit of the original.
Snyder’s Watchmen played pretty close to the source material as well, with the exception of the giant squid plot to fool America and the Soviet Union into believing that they had a mutual enemy from another dimension. Notably, the 2019 Watchmen sequel series on HBO did refer back to the giant squid ending, since the show maintained continuity with the comic instead of the movie.
Watchmen is set in an alternate version of 1985 where Richard Nixon is still President and superheroes have been outlawed. Only a few heroes remain active when one of their own is killed. And the survivors soon find themselves swept up in a conspiracy that may destroy their lives and transform the world.
Warner Bros. Animation will release Watchmen Chapter 1 on August 13. Watchmen Chapter 2 will be released in 2025.
