Watchmen director Stephen Williams has signed on to lead a new original horror/thriller movie for Universal Pictures. Williams has been directing and producing for television for a number of years. He originally worked with J.J. Abrams on Lost as a director and later executive producer and has since been involved in several other TV productions for the past decade. These include The Walking Dead, Person of Interest and How to Get Away With Murder.

According to Variety, Williams' next big project after Watchmen is directing the original horror movie Don't Go in the Water for Universal. Peter Gaffney wrote the script for the film. While plot details are being kept secret, it is being described as a "suspenseful monster movie." Even though things in Hollywood have slowed during the current pandemic, it seems that work hasn't completely shut down, as movie studios are still developing new projects.

Stephen Williams first started working with HBO on Westworld, directing two episodes of the sci-fi drama. He then worked with fellow Lost alum Damon Lindeloff on the Watchmen series. Watchmen has garnered praise for its exploration of the alternate universe created by Alan Moore in the original Watchmen comic book series and its exceptional performances by its cast, particularly Regina King. Williams directed two episodes of the limited series, including "The Extraordinary Being". Even thought Lindeloff has no plans to continue the show, Williams' work on Watchmen has garnered the attention of many executives in Hollywood.