Watchmen Minutemen Show Their Masks, Zack Snyder Talks Runtime

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 27, 2008

Today must be Watchmen day around the interwebs, as we have seen not one, not two, but three interesting stories related to the production. Earlier we reported that Warner Brothers was planning on releasing the Watchmen sub-story Tales of the Black Frieghter on DVD a few days after the release of the film, which for fans of the graphic novel should come as very good news. We were expecting to have to wait for Watchmen’s DVD release to see the off-shoot story, but will now get it much earlier.

The second story was one buried inside of the Black Freighter announcement, in which Zack Snyder briefly mentions the running time of Watchmen. Snyder told the NYT that “the main picture is nearing three hours long and I know I have a fight on my hands just with that.” Normally this is a statement that would be an instant turn-off for most movie fans, as a three hour runtime is not always a good thing. But in the case of Watchmen, a three hour long film might be necessary in order to tell the whole story the right way. In order to really understand why, it is necessary that you read the graphic novel, which is by no means a short story. As well, with the obvious exception of the Black Freighter sub-story, there isn’t really anything that can be easily cut out without seriously crippling the flow of the story. In that way, I can see where Zack Snyder is heading — and I like where it may lead.

And finally, the story that you may all be waiting for, the release of a photo of the 1940s Minutemen from the film. It comes to us from Ain’t It Cool News, who has a bigger version that can be found by clicking the little one below. From left to right, this picture shows Silhouette, Mothman, Dollar Bill, Nite Owl, Captain Metropolis, The Comedian (kneeling), Silk Spectre, and Hooded Justice.

For those of you who are confused — now would be a great time to run out and buy the “Watchmen” graphic novel and read it. Then, and only then, will you be able to understand what is going on in the photo above as well as understand why everyone in the comic world is so worked up over this film. It is a tough adaptation and may ultimately prove to be a tough sell to the American mainstream audience, but if done correctly it could be a fantastic film, possibly one of the best comic adaptations we’ve seen. And seeing as director Zack Snyder has already accomplished a similar feat with 300, the expectations for Watchmen will be understandably high.

As for me, I am just interested to see how it all turns out. Watchmen is such a visually arresting book and Zack Snyder’s style as a director is a perfect match — this should be one hell of a show. The film is set to hit theaters on March 6, 2009. We will be sure to keep you informed of any other Watchmen related news that may come our way.

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