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HBO’s Watchmen Pilot Casting Breakdowns Tease New Details
New casting details for the pilot episode of HBO’s Watchmen has been released. Based on the DC Comics limited series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons of the same name, it revolves around a group of mainly retired American superheroes who exist in an alternate history during the height of the Cold War. The team investigates the dubious death of one of their own not knowing that they’re basically opening up a Pandora’s box of conspiracies that would challenge their personal morals.
Spearheaded by Damon Lindelof, the new adaptation will veer away from Zack Snyder’s cult favorite film from 2009, and even differ from the Watchmen comics at some points. But, while it’s still unclear what the narrative gist is of the upcoming TV series, the new project promises to dive deep into the source material’s extremely dense themes.
Courtesy from ThatHashTagShow is a list of pilot casting calls for the forthcoming HBO project. Interestingly, while the character descriptions gives enough details, they’re vague enough to pinpoint which Watchmen roles they would be. Check out the descriptions below:
Angela Abraham: African-American female cop. Independent and intelligent, she’s also a realist. She’s married to Cal, with whom she has a daughter and is fiercely protective of them both.
Cal Abraham: African-American male who is the stay-at-home husband of Angela. While he seems at home as the king of his castle and being a loving husband and father, it’s clear his past has a different story to tell.
Looking Glass: A good looking cop, the native Oklahoman isn’t simple as his rural accent makes him appear to be. A top interrogator and behavioral scientist, he may also be a bit of a sociopath.
Panda: An ethnic desk cop, he’s cynical and tough and puts his job first. Not a friend to many, he uses comedy to keep people at bay.
Red Scare: Mafioso, track suit wearing cop. His Russian accent lends to his abrasiveness.
Pirate Jenny: An androgynous and lustful bisexual cop, Jenny is an anarchist at heart.
Jane Crawford: The wife of the police chief, Judd, Jane is a veterinarian who’s sharper than her guarded persona lets on.
Old Man: A former cop who is still an imposing figure despite his age.
The key word to look at in this information is that this casting is for the pilot of the series, which will be directed by The Leftover‘s Nicole Kassell, so there’s a chance that these characters are only key players at the start of the story and not necessarily going to be the titular heroes. The information suggests that these roles are going to be members of the Oklahoma police department who, in the comics, openly antagonized the rise to fame of vigilante as they take away their jobs of protecting the city known as the Pilot Strike of 1977. Perhaps, this is going to be the launching point of Lindelof’s adaptation.
Having said that, fakeout casting calls are not unusual in Hollywood, especially in a high profile project like HBO’s Watchmen. So, it’s difficult to fully presume that these character breakdowns aren’t for the principal cast. Whatever they are, though, with the series slowly taking shape, it’s only a matter of time before official announcements roll out.
HBO’s Watchmen TV series has yet to get an official release date.
