One of my favorite web pages to visit is the trivia section for a particular movie on The Internet Movie Database. I know, I know, what a geek!
But, hear me out. Alot of times it will provide information about that film’s development – what director was earmarked to helm it before he got canned or what star was in line for a lead role before wanting too much money. Stuff like that that interests movie nuts like me.
Bringing Watchmen to the big screen for instance has been 20 years in the making – since not long after the story first hit the newsstands in graphic novel form – multi award-winning form I might add - in 1986-87 thanks to writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons.
A number of big names had been and gone before Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) finally settled into the director’s chair, and various mega stars had been set to slip into the superhero outfits of the main characters. Here’s a run-down of how the film, which of course will be released this week, came to be (courtesy of the good folks at imdb.com)…
Terry Gilliam
1. Terry throws in the towel
Former Python Terry Gilliam (left, doing his best Rorschach impression) considered directing as early as 1989, but after several unsatisfactory drafts of the screenplay, decided the material unfilmable as a feature production. Gilliam had said he would consider directing it as a five-hour mini-series at least.
2. Costner, Williams Gere up for roles
During early development in the early 1990s early casting rumors included Robin Williams as Rorschach, Jamie Lee Curtis as Silk Spectre II, Gary Busey as The Comedian, and both Richard Gere and Kevin Costner considered for the role of Nite Owl.
3. Bay bypasses offer
Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Transformers) was considered to direct the movie back in 2003 but turned down the offer.
4. Greengrass takes flight out
In 2004, Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) was attached as a director, a script was written and conceptual work had begun when Paramount suddenly decided to put the movie on hold for the time being. A short time after that Greengrass left the project to work on the movie United 93 (2006) instead. After being put into turnaround, the rights were reacquired by Warner Bros. in 2006.
Simon Pegg
5. Pegg hung out to dry
Simon Pegg met with the producers to discuss the role of Rorschach when Greengrass was attached to direct at Paramount, but nothing was agreed for certain before that project went into turnaround.
6. Phoenix rises as Night Owl
When Greengrass was set to direct, he planned to cast Hilary Swank as Silk Spectre II and Joaquin Phoenix as Nite Owl. When Greengrass left the project, Swank and Phoenix followed suit.
7. Aronofsky update not wanted
Warner Bros. initially considered Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain) to direct. Aronofsky did express interest in the project, but found the original story dated. Specifically, the director planned to update the story to the contemporary era and replace the Vietnam War references with those of Iraq and terrorism.
8. Zack finally the man
Uncomfortable with the direction Aronofsky wanted to take, Warner Bros. hired Zack Snyder who had just directed a highly-faithful adaptation of 300 (2006) to great acclaim.
Cusack
9. Cruise, Law, Cusack interested
Both Tom Cruise and Jude Law expressed interest in the role of the suave multi-millionaire Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias, while another big name in John Cusack (left, looking the part) was rumored to play the bespeckled Dan Drieberg aka Nite Owl and Sigourney Weaver was rumored to play the original Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter.
Ron Perlman as The Comedian?
10. Hellboy for The Comedian?
Producers Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin tried hard to get Ron Perlman (left) green-lighted to play The Comedian.
11. Zack true to source material
Snyder based his storyboards for the film on the panels of the actual graphic novel. He has stated that in order to be true to the source when adapting a graphic novel to the screen, the original visual art should be respected as much as the written portion.
12. Funny how Morgan got the role
Jeffrey Dean Morgan initially wanted to turn down the role of the Comedian after reading the first three pages of the script. He assumed that was Blake’s only scene and didn’t want to play a character that had so little screen time. His agent persuaded him to read the entire script and then make a decision.
I kept thinking that the guy who played the Comedian was Javier Bardem (I found out later that it’s actually Jeffrey Dean Morgan), but the two actors definitely look alike
You’re right Coffee, they do look a like, though they’re accents are a bit different.
Cheers