SDCC 2019: HBO releases 'Watchmen' trailer; homage to original introduces Dr Manhattan while masked vigilantes rise again
The trailer of HBO's next massive show 'Watchmen' was released at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2019. It introduces the audience to the person who helped the U.S. win the war on Vietnam - Dr. Manhattan.
The God-like Manhattan lives on Mars, we are informed at the beginning of the trailer. We see Police Chief Judd Crawford in the trailer say, "We convinced ourselves that they were gone, but they were just hibernating," leading to the belief that outlawed vigilantes will return to start a revolution and they seem to be led by none other than Regina King's Angela Abar.
She tells a little girl in the trailer, "There are people who believe that this world is fair and good. It's all lollipops and rainbows. We don't do lollipops and rainbows. We know those are just pretty colors that just hides what the world really is - Black and White."
She believes her family was attacked by what seems to be followers of Rorschach followers as we see men in Rorschach masks and with guns create a wake of destruction in their wake. She also wears a mask but is not part of the police task force who are now wearing masks to hide their identities from the Rorschach followers who are out for revenge because of the police crackdown on masked vigilantes. Ironic.
Amid all of this, there is a man in a uniform telling a little girl, "People who wear masks are dangerous. You should be scared of them." When the girl asks why, he says, "Because they are hiding something." This coupled with Agent Blake asking, "Is there really a difference between a masked cop and a vigilante," sets the premise of the show. There is going to be a lot of grey and Angela is set to revel in it.
The trailer also teases the audience with a glimpse of Dr. Manhattan and we cannot wait to see the role he plays in this mixture of. While it is easy to mistake for a sequel to the comic and the 2009 film, creator Damon Lindelof, in a lengthy statement said, "We are not making a 'sequel' either. This story will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built... but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, he must be contemporary."
The show will premiere on HBO in October.