Geek Alert: Watchmen Movie

Alan Moore's seminal 1986 graphic novel Watchmen, widely considered one of the greatest comics of all-time, is finally going to make it to the big screen. After years of rumors, false-starts, and a slew of different directors Watchmen is now filming in Vancouver with 300 director Zach Snyder at the helm. Directors Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Last Vegas, Twelve Monkeys) andDarren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) had been previously attached. The current screenplay was written by David Hayter (X-Men) and was called "as close as I could imagine anyone getting to Watchmen" by Moore (although Moore has also stated he refuses to go see any Watchmen movie made).

Watchmen takes place in an alternate 1985 where costumed "superheroes" (only one in the story actually has super powers) are real and the US on the brink of nuclear war with Russia. Superheroes have been outlawed (various reasons including undermining police force) and have gone into retirement. That is until a murderer starts offing their own, which is where the story begins. A series of events causes a group of superheroes to come out of retirement to investigate.

Watchmen was innovative in it's deconstruction of the conventional"superhero" by turning them into real life people with real life issues. The superheroes in Watchmen, save for one, noticeably lack any super powers. They must struggle with their own inabilities, neurosis, and failings throughout the book.

Watchmen started as a limited series running from 1986 to 1987, it was then re-published in "trade paperback" form, helping to usher in the popularity of the Graphic Novel (think Sin City). It is the only graphic novel ever to win The Hugo Award (given for achievement in science fiction/fantasy literature) and was listed on Time Magazine's 2005 list of "100 best English Language Novels" (the only graphic novel to make the list).

If done right, Watchmen has the potential to be the best movie based on a graphic novel of all time.

If you are interested check out Watchmen 101 to get more details on the story.