It has been almost a decade since the first live-action take on Watchmen debuted in theaters, and the Alan Moore-based property will soon make its jump to the small screen. Damon Lindelof is developing a Watchmen series for HBO, and while it is expected to be an entirely new continuity, it seems that original Watchmen actor Patrick Wilson wants in on the action as Daniel Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite Owl. Wilson opened up about potentially reprising the role while promoting the release of The Commuter and explained:
It was such a joy shooting that movie, I wanted there to be more of them. I've wanted to play Dan again. I certainly think we're all more age appropriate now! . . . There's never been one conversation. I'm sure they want to stay as far away from us as possible but I love Damon Lindelof I'm so excited to see what they will do. I'd love to play [Dan] now but no there's been no talk, I'm just a fan like you are.
So it appears that Patrick Wilson is ready and willing to dive back into his role as Dan "Nite Owl" Dreiberg in Damon Lindelof's Watchmen TV show. He clearly has a lot of love for the character, and he makes no secret of the fact that playing the superhero role in Zack Snyder's Watchmen film was an enjoyable experience for him. Then, on top of all of that, Wilson (now 44-years-old) has finally reached an age that feels more appropriate for the grizzled and seasoned nature of the character as depicted in the book. It could work, and he remains interested in the idea of reprising his Watchmen movie role as a fan of the material and the universe.
Of course, despite his earnest desire to play Nite Owl again, Patrick Wilson's remarks to Yahoo Movies do point out one very clear possibility that could rule out his involvement in the new project: the show will likely steer clear of the movie in the creation of its own mythology. Zack Snyder's 2009 film (particularly with the extended cuts) covers most of the storyline from the book and generally offers up a pretty thorough rundown of the mythology.
Besides, Damon Lindelof appears to have already started working on the show, so the fact that Patrick Wilson has not even received a call to reprise his role seems like a reliable indicator that we are going to see a new timeline inhabited by new actors. At this point, as much as he wants to return, it looks like Patrick Wilson will just have to tune in like the rest of us.
For now, make sure to catch Patrick Wilson in The Commuter, and watch out for his performance as Orm when Jame Wan's Aquaman premieres in theaters later this year on December 21. On the TV side of things, take a look at CinemaBlend's midseason premiere guide to get a better sense of what else is debuting on the small screen over the next few months.
