A television adaptation of Watchmen, the seminal 1986 DC Comics miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is reportedly in early development at HBO. Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) is in talks to steer the series.

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If the project sounds familiar, it's because in 2015 the cable network confirmed "preliminary discussions" about a potential Watchmen series with Zack Snyder, who directed the 2009 film adaptation. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder is no longer involved.

Released as a limited series, Watchmen depicts an alternate history in which costumed heroes first emerged in the 1940s, and altered the course of history over the subsequent decades. Set in 1985, as the United States and the Soviet Union inch ever closer to World War III, the comic centers on the investigation into the murder of the former costumed government agent The Comedian, which uncovers a deadly conspiracy with global consequences.

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Long described as "unfilmable," Watchmen was nevertheless adapted by Snyder as a film that proved polarizing, and ultimately grossed $185.3 million worldwide on an estimated $130 million production budget.

DC Comics returned to the world of Watchmen in 2012 with Before Watchmen, a sprawling prequel -- eight limited series and a one-shot, totaling 37 issues -- by a lineup of creators that included Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner, Brian Azzarello, Jae Lee, J.G. Jones, Len Wein and Adam Hughes. Just last year, the publisher introduced elements from Watchmen into its DC Universe, weaving a mystery that's threaded through much of its Rebirth initiative.

Best known for his work on Lost, the rebooted Star Trek films and Ridley Scott's Prometheus, Lindelof just wrapped three seasons of The Leftovers on HBO.