Despite a somewhat open ending, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal Watchmen comic book miniseries was intended to be a standalone story (until Doomsday Clock, of course). Now, with fans' eyes turned towards the upcoming HBO "sequel" series sharing the same name, many were wondering just how long a new storyline would last, and showrunner Damon Lindelof indicated that, like its source material, the upcoming show will unfold as a single-season story.
Speaking at New York Comic Con following the premiere of the pilot episode, Lindelof explained that, even if Moore isn't very keen on others taking on his work, the new series aims to stay true to the original's self-contained plot.
"One of the things that makes the original perfect is that those twelve issues were well thought out," he said. "There was a beginning, middle and end planned out. We had to do the same thing. We plotted these nine episodes with every mystery and question being resolved. We didn’t want this season to end with a [cliffhanger]. Our job was to deliver nine episodes that delivered a complete story."
Nevertheless, while the plan at the moment is to limit the sequel tale to a nine-hour series on HBO, Lindelof isn't ruling out exploring Moore and Gibbons' world more in the future.
"We want to see how it’s received by you guys," he noted. "If the show comes out and the conversation seems to suggest you’re hungry for more, we’ll take that into consideration."
Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, James Wolk, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon. The series premieres Oct. 20.