Even if Alan Moore wants nothing to do with HBO's Watchmen series, that hasn't stopped showrunner Damon Lindelof and his team from paying tribute to their source material in a number of creative ways. And the latest example is that former wrestling superstar Jesse "The Body" Ventura at one point became Vice President alongside President Robert Redford.
In a /Film exclusive, the site details the history of Robert Redford's political career within the Watchmen universe. As Lindelof tells it, "With his popularity slipping in the middle of the country and under incredible pressure from the right and the Independents who elected (and re-elected and re-elected) him, Redford appointed Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura to the Vice Presidency."
"Despite rumors that Ventura had leveraged the Administration with evidence about the government’s involvement in 11/2, the gambit paid off and Redford/Ventura eked out a victory in 2012," Lindelof continued. "Unfortunately, V.P. Ventura passed away two weeks after the election (under mysterious circumstances to say the least), forcing yet another appointment."
Ventura, of course, didn't simply stay a wrestler in the real world, either. In 1991, he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Four years later, he became the state's governor as a third-party candidate.
The entire "look back" at history is pretty entertaining and interesting, detailing a different timeline involving The Sundance Labs spearheading numerous colleges for the arts, Martin Scorsese overseeing the National Film Foundation, and author John Grisham being appointed to the Supreme Court.
Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, 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 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.