Watchmen appeared on HBO Sunday night after months of the show being built up and already setting expectations from the comic book world. Series creator Damon Lindelof serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Regina King plays Angela Abar/Sister Night in the series – a double identity role.
Lindelof wrote an open letter to fans of the Watchmen comic book series as a means to share how he will stay true to the essence of the graphic novels.
“I think Damon was very smart in the beginning to write that letter to remind them how dearly he holds Watchmen,” King said. “The graphic novel has informed how Damon has written his whole career. If anyone’s honoring the work, it’s him: ‘How am I going to take something perfect and make it better? You can’t mess with perfection, but what I can do is pay homage to it and capture the feeling of it.'”
King was drawn to the script because of her character’s originality and love for superheroes. “I had never seen anyone like her,” King said. “The idea I would get the opportunity to bring her to life was huge. Because she’s not in the source material, I didn’t have to feel any of that pressure. I’ve been wanting to play a superhero all my life, ever since I saw Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the cartoon. And here’s my opportunity. I have the opportunity to design her, along with the creator, to make her into who we think she should be. I really don’t have the words to put that into what it means.”
“There’s a wonderful story of legacy that’s about to unfold,” King teased. “Legacy is one of those words you hear all the time in comic books, and it plays here as well.”
The Watchmen airs on Sundays at 9 PM on HBO.