HBO Orders Damon Lindelof’s ‘Watchmen’

Redemption must’ve tasted pretty sweet for Damon Lindelof. After being kicked around for the diminishing returns of “Lost,” he hit a homerun with “The Leftovers,” not only delivering three excellent seasons, but helping to create a finale that will go down as one of the all-timers. That should hopefully ease the wariness some “Watchmen” fans have been feeling ever since it was announced that Lindelof would be adapting the iconic graphic novel for HBO.

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Even though just a couple months ago Lindelof was playing cagey about the show’s prospects, it’s now been revealed that HBO has ordered a pilot episode and backup scripts for “Watchmen.” There’s no word yet on the other creatives involved, and we’re probably a way off from casting as well, but the wheels are in motion. All that said, keep expectations in check. It’s a long way to a series order and recent years have seen high-profile projects from Steve McQueen, Noah Baumbach, and Kathryn Bigelow all fail to launch on the network. Especially given the scrutiny that will undoubtedly face “Watchmen,” this is likely not airing until everyone behind it thinks they’ve got it right.

All that said, a series adaptation of “Watchmen” might be the best path, though one wonders if a mini-series would be even better. No matter what, there are going to be plenty of opinions about this, so share yours in the comments section. [Deadline]