Did Damon Lindelof Just Confirm 'Watchmen' Reboot Underway For HBO?

06/03/2018 01:21 pm EDT

After months of rumor, speculation, and debunking, it seems as though we'll once again be able to watch The Watchmen.

A new photo posted to writer and producer Damon Lindelof's Instagram page indicate that pre-production has begun on HBO's adaptation of the seminal comic book by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

The picture features a closeup shot of the statue the first Nite-Owl received when he retired from the superhero life. The image was infamously used on the cover of Watchmen #8, with the issue featuring the character being beaten to death with the statue.

Lindelof's photo could almost be considered a confirmation that the Watchmen TV series is in the works, unless of course he happened on a prop and just decided to troll fans. Either way, fans of the classic comic series are likely to be riled up.

The object has an important role in the events of the story, as the first Nite Owl Hollis Mason's death allows his successor Daniel Dreiberg to sympathize with Ozymandias' conspiracy to unite the world and avert nuclear disaster.

That statue appears to be the same one from the movie by Zack Snyder, though the scene in which Hollis was murdered was only a part of the director's cut. The prop looks a lot more pristine in the film, though it's nothing a bit of polish couldn't help.

The movie was visually stunning but criticized for its length and attempting to pack too much into its substantial runtime. Though it remained faithful to the source material — giant squid aside — it did leave more to be desired. A television adaptation of the maxi-series would likely be better suited for the story.

Watchmen is considered a classic in the medium, one that pushed comic book storytelling in new and exciting directions after it released in the late '80s. Lindelof's greatest successes have been in television mysteries such as Lost and The Leftovers. We'll see if he can do justice to the fan-favorite comic book when it comes to HBO.

DC Comics is set to release a comic bringing the Watchmen into conflict with Superman and other heroes in their mainstream universe. Doomsday Clock will release in stores later this year.

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