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Zack Snyder saved much of Watchmen—but about that ending ...
Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming Watchmen, told reporters that adapting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel for the screen meant consolidating story material and streamlining the logic—and defended his one big change, the film's ending. (Spoilers ahead, especially if you haven't read the book!)
"Most of the adjustments we made in the movie are what I would call, like, pull-ups, because you pull material together," Snyder said in a group interview in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday. "[And then] you need to bridge those things, because now you've created, like, a logic gap in the story."
Watchmen is set in an alternate-universe 1985 Manhattan in which superheroes really exist, one of them is murdered and the others try to uncover the conspiracy while the world ticks closer to nuclear armageddon.
Despite his own changes to the graphic novel to adapt Watchmen to film, Snyder said that he had to jealously defend the story's integrity from studio executives who wanted to make wholesale changes.
"They were like, 'We saw, like, the Comedian's funeral. Like, that feels like it could be [cut], nothing happens there!,'" Snyder said with a laugh. "'This whole thing where Manhattan goes to Mars, that seems also like an area where nothing happens. And then, also, when Rorschach's being interrogated by this psychiatrist, that's another area where nothing happens. So if you just lob those three areas off, we're going to have a nice tight little movie.'"
Executives also wanted Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson) to kill the antagonist at the end of the film.
Snyder was incredulous. "I said, 'Guys, truthfully, those [three sections], that's why I'm making the movie. Really. These three sections of the movie.' ... Otherwise, ... I don't know why to do it. There's just no reason to do it. Because, by the way, if you take those three sections out of the movie, ... and have Dan kill [the bad guy], it's a bad superhero movie. That's what that is."
Snyder prevailed in the end, preserving most of the graphic novel's story, with one notable exception: the finale. (Spoiler!)
"When I originally got the script, the squid was gone from the [end]," Snyder said, adding: "I was like, 'OK, well, we should try to put the squid back in the movie. We should see if that's a thing that could work.' And, really, I think the reason why we in the end decided that it was probably best not to was that it just ended up adding another ... 15 pages to the script. You know, just to kind of make that make sense. Because you couldn't just cut to it like you do in the graphic novel."
Unlike the graphic novel—where the giant city-destroying squid is revealed in a large panel once you turn a page—the movie had to lay narrative groundwork throughout its story to set up the appearance of such a creature in the end.
"I knew that ... if I spent that time with the squid, that's just time ... that I wouldn't have for ... Manhattan or Rorschach or ... the Comedian's funeral," Snyder said. "Because ... those are my favorite parts of the book, you know?" He added: "There's something elegant about [the end we chose]. If you're going to stay with the characters and the [idea of creating an] 'Other' to hate, ... there's something elegant about that Other being God. To me, anyway."
Watchmen opens March 6.
By AngryJonny at 7:52 AM ON 02/20/09
SPOILER-reference
If the squidless ending doesn't work, I can see it now: Bootleg Watchmen T-shirts being sold at conventions that read: "Got squid?"
Man, I am so excited for this movie!!! I just think "Watchmen, Watchmen, Watchmen" all the time.
By xGORDOx at 11:32 AM ON 02/20/09
I think fanboys who are hating on Snyder for cutting certain things really don't appreciate what he did to keep even more.
It seems this film could have had the studio treatment done to it and instead Zack put his foot down where he could in order to keep the integrity of the story.
Can't wait!
By Numbcrunch at 11:38 AM ON 02/20/09
Despite his own changes to the graphic novel to adapt Watchmen to film, Snyder said that he had to "jealously" defend the story's integrity from studio executives who wanted to make wholesale changes.
I wonder if you meant zealously defended or if Zach is made that he didn't think of it first. Who writes and edits this high schoolers. I sure miss the old site.
By ripleycal at 11:59 AM ON 02/20/09
From Dictionary.com: "Jealous: 5. Solicitous or vigilant in maintaining or guarding something: The American people are jealous of their freedom."
By Al at 12:09 PM ON 02/20/09
You know, I was very interested in checking out Coraline in the new 3D at the theatre and was resigned to have Watchmen delayed because of the court case dragging on for so long, but now I've missed the showing of Coraline and am checking out every article on what's coming for Watchmen. I will see the movie, buy the DVD (extended cut) and download the iTunes version so it can accompany my watchmen Digital Comics.
(These were also a bit different from the original comic.)
All in all, I wil be in line to see this movie (in IMAX!) and expect to see it more times before it comes to the small screen.
Watchmen...Watchmen...Malin Akerman...Uh..Watchmen...
By AngryJonny at 3:41 PM ON 02/20/09
About twelve or so years ago, I read a draft of a Watchman script by (I'm pretty sure) Sam Hamm, who wrote the first Michael Keaton Batman. The ending was horrendous. Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, and Rorschach were transported (I think by Dr. Manhattan) from their world, which was ending, to "our" Earth, or at least a world where they simply existed in comic books.
The three superheroes appeared in the middle of city traffic and a boy recognized them, exclaiming, "Hey, it's Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, and Rorschach!" And that's how it ended. Seriously.
But I think I was fine with everything in the script before the ending.
So, just think of what we could have had if the film had been made in the '90s. Actually, that may have been why it wasn't made back then.
By Chip2800 at 6:39 PM ON 02/20/09
I never liked the squid.
By JackTerminal at 1:08 AM ON 02/21/09
I can understand a rejection of the Squid, but wasn't that the point of why the Comedian is killed? Because he knew the Squid was coming? Tying the beginning to the end in the book is a lot of what gives you the "Whoa" moment. I'm not sure what would be as "out there" and horrifying as making the "Squid". That I will be interested to see... but that's also why I know the movie will be different.
By theprepmaster at 11:56 PM ON 03/04/09
@JackTerminal - The squid is a device. And a poor one, at that. I've always thought so and I hold the graphic novel very, very dear. But the squid was the only thing that felt obviously misguided and out of place in the story to me. The Comedian is still killed because he knows of the coming threat, nothing changes other than the device that brings the destruction. So the "point" you refer to is still very much present and accounted for in the film. It still works, perfectly.
By yourhums at 1:54 PM ON 03/09/09
SPOILER ALERT!
Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie yet and do not wish to hear the end.
I understand the need or want to simplify a 2:45 minute movie with an already very complicated storyline. But the more I think about it, I just don't think making Dr Manhattan the unifying threat holds water. Think about it. The US has a weapon that gives it pretty much complete military superiority in the cold war environment. That weapon allows the US to win the Vietnam war in 2 weeks and the technology from that weapon threatens to destroy the wealth base of the oil producing nations. That weapon then attacks a whole bunch of cities around the world, including Moscow if I am not mistaken. An American weapon responsible for the deaths of millions, and instead of a multinational, anti-US backlash the world unites in peace? I can't think of much that would be more destabilizing to a cold war world on the brink of a shooting war. When the Soviets figure out that they were attacked by Dr. Manhattan, even with the US being attacked as well, don't you think that would be be more of a provocation for a launch than an invitation to join hands and sing Kumbaya? At least with a perceived alien attack, the threat cannot be attributed to any nation on earth and the unknown is always more frightening. It just doesn't work. Maybe there will be something in the DVD extended cut (5:20 minutes?) that will change my mind, but probably not.
By yomom at 3:55 PM ON 03/10/09
actually the squidless ending works rather well helps cut down on a lot of explaining
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