Waiting for the WATCHMEN

In the late 1980’s a graphic novel was published that changed the way people saw comic books. It was gritty. It was intense.  It was full of rape, drugs, cursing, and violence. It was everything comic books were not in the public eye.

And people loved it.

The books plot showed an alternate 1985 where superheroes exist, Nixon is still president, and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union are at a boiling point. The story opens with the murder of a former hero known as the comedian and its investigation by the vigilante Rorschach, who later uncovers a plot to discredit and murder members of the superhero community in a conspiracy which could completely change the course of history.

DC comics struck pure gold when it was released. TIME MAGAZINE listed it as one of there top 100 best novels. So naturally it made sense for it to be someday made into a movie, but nobody knew how long it would actually take for it to see the light of day on the silver screen.

After its comic debut Fox pictures quickly attained the rights to make WATCHMEN into a movie, but without the writers blessing and after numerous rewrites it seemed it would never see the light of day through Fox.

Over the years it was passed around through Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Revolution Studios, Paramount Pictures, and then finally back to Warner Brothers, where its now finally been turned into a movie.

But the latest attempt hasn’t been without it’s own problems either. In February 2008 Fox filed a complaint against Warner Brothers  claiming that they that they held interests in WATCHMEN due to their 1991 and 1994 agreements with Lawrence Gordon, who previously had the rights to the movie’s production. Despite Warner Brothers attempt to file a dismissal, the trial was later held in early January until finally on the 13th of January, a settlement was made. Speculation shows that Fox would earn 8.5% of the film’s gross and Warner Brothers would later be able to counter sue Lawrence Gordon for their losses.

With the movie now being able to finally see the light of day on March 6th, audiences across America are finally able to see WATCHMEN though the eyes of director Zack Snyder, of 300 fame, and finally see the superhero genre in a new, darker, light.