Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof insists his HBO series doesn't throw shade at Zack Snyder's movie of the same name.

Some thought the gruesome content depicted in the HBO show's "American Hero Story," which retells the original Watchmen story using the hyper-stylized cinematography that's typically associated with Snyder's directing style, was a shot at the 2009 film.

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Speaking to Variety, Lindelof explained why he isn't attacking Snyder's style. “I will always take responsibility for when I’m winking or insulting or trolling,” said Lindelof. “There was no intentionality on my part to make fun of or take a shot at or troll Zack Snyder’s Watchmen movie. I have a tremendous amount of affection for Zack’s movie and for Zack himself. And I feel like if anything, the challenge of doing Watchmen as a straight-up adaptation in the body of a three-hour movie is near impossible, and he did about as good of a job as anyone can.”

Nicole Kassell, who directed three episodes of Watchmen (including the pilot), was also shocked to hear the claims. Kassell said, “I fully admire him as a filmmaker so to hear that it could even be used as a negative comment feels terrible... What I was wanting to do with those [‘American Hero Story’ scenes] is like, This is the version we could make, and we are very concretely not making that version. We’re grounding our story in a much more real kind of naturalism."

Lindelof did note that the title "American Hero Story" is a deliberate reference to Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's American Horror Story, he's not mocking that show either. "It was all in good fun," said the Watchmen showrunner.

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 season finale airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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