HBO is getting The Leftovers gang back together for their new Watchmen series adaptation. Showrunner Damon Lindelof was recruited to create a pilot based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ iconic graphic novel, and now, THR reports that Lindeloff has tapped director Nicole Kassell to helm the pilot.
Kassell made her directorial debut with the bracing, Spirit Award-nominated 2004 drama The Woodsman and went on to direct two of The Leftovers‘ most critically acclaimed episodes; Season 2’s “No Room at the Inn” and Season 3’s “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World,” both of which dug deep into the faith and inner conflict of Christopher Eccleston‘s devoted priest Matt Jamison. In recent years, Kassell has remained busy on TV with directing stints on challenging series like The Killing, Better Call Saul, Rectify, and The Americans. The Watchmen series will be her second pilot directing gig after helming the first episode of TNT’s delightful comedy Claws.
Lindelof scripted the pilot and will executive produce with Kassell. In addition to the pilot order, HBO has given an order for backup scripts. The series inspired by the classic comic, which offered a dark, satirical look at the superhero genre set in an alt-history 1985, when morally questionable superheroes shape the world as we knew it. After the murder of one of their own, the mostly-retired group of ex-heroes reunites to investigate and uncover a dangerous conspiracy. Zack Snyder directed the 2009 film adaptation.
We broke the news that HBO was considering developing a TV series adaptation of the seminal graphic novel back in 2015. At the time, HBO was eyeing a reunion with Snyder, but that iteration of the project never came to pass and Lindeloff, fresh of the critical acclaim of The Leftovers, was brought on board.
via Collider