Jeremy Irons to Star in HBO's 'Watchmen'

According to a new report, one DC Comics veteran is headed to the world of Watchmen.Jeremy Irons [...]

According to a new report, one DC Comics veteran is headed to the world of Watchmen.

Jeremy Irons has been tapped for a lead role in HBO's Watchmen television series, according to Deadline. While details on his character are somewhat slim, the report says he will play "an aging and imperious lord of a British Manor".

Irons is best known to comic book fans for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, as well as his roles in The Lion King and Dead Ringers.

In addition to Irons, the cast of Watchmen will include Don Johnson, Regina King, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens, and Andrew Howard. While no details about their roles have officially been announced, it's safe to assume that more details will come about as production rolls along.

The series is reportedly largely set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and appears to follow characters who were not established in the Watchmen comics. As previous set photos have hinted, the plot of the original Watchmen will serve as a sort of jumping off point for the television series.

"We have no desire to 'adapt' the twelve issues Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons created thirty years ago," executive producer Damon Lindelof wrote in a recent social media post. "Those issues are sacred ground and they will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted."

"They will, however, be remixed." Lindelof continued. "Because the bass lines in those familiar tracks are just too good and we'd be fools not to sample them. Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament. When the New Testament came along it did not erase what came before it. Creation. The Garden of Eden. Abraham and Isaac. The Flood. It all happened. And so it will be with Watchmen. The Comedian died. Dan and Laurie fell in love. Ozymandias saved the world and Dr. Manhattan left it just after blowing Rorschach to pieces in the bitter cold of Antarctica."

Are you excited to see Jeremy Irons join the cast of Watchmen? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Watchmen does not currently have a release date. ComicBook.com will provide more updates as they come about.

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