"Watchmen" News - Script Completed

Hayter Completes Watchmen Script
X2 scribe may direct for producer Lloyd Levin.

July 14, 2003 - IGN FilmForce recently caught up with Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life producer, Lloyd Levin, again, but this time we asked him about his plans to bring a much anticipated comic book adaptation to the big screen: Alan Moore's Watchmen. And we're pleased to report that Watchmen is moving toward production and will be in front of the cameras, as Levin says, "The sooner the better."




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IGNFF: The League of Extraordinary Gentleman has just opened, and you're currently working on another big project based on work by Alan Moore, Watchmen. How carefully will you be watching what has been done with LXG in terms of adapting Alan Moore's work? Because the biggest decision with that film is that they dumbed-down a comic book to make a movie, and Watchmen is one of the seminal comic book works, ever.

LLOYD LEVIN: I think that with something like [Watchmen], if I've learned one thing, it's just to approach whatever you do with as much seriousness as possible and give it as much dignity as it deserves. So as soon as you start to dumb something down you're doing the opposite.

IGNFF: Terry Gilliam has been involved and he couldn't crack it because he wanted to do something like a 12-hour version. But now David Hayter is on board writing a new script. Is it completed?

LEVIN: We have a script. And we have a great adaptation by David Hayter that absolutely celebrates the book. It's a great adaptation of it. It's very faithful.

IGNFF: With the script completed, who are you thinking about for directing the film?

LEVIN: We're talking to David about directing the film.

IGNFF: Do you have a timeline that you'd like to go with? You know, a general idea as to when you'd start casting and, hopefully, principal photography.

LEVIN: I can't say right now, but hopefully, as a fan, the sooner the better.