Zack Snyder in talks with HBO about a Watchmen series

I hope you’re ready, hero, because Zack Snyder may be returning to the world of Watchmen. Collider reports from an unnamed source that Snyder and HBO are in talks about bringing Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal comic series to the network.

Snyder began his career as DC Comics’ film frontman with his 2009 adaptation of the iconic 1986-1987 comic. The film wasn’t as roundly received as the comic, however, with critics and fans alike polarized by, ironically enough, both the film’s strict adherence to the source and its alteration of certain aspects. Filmed on a reported $130 million budget,Watchmen grossed only $107.5 million domestically, adding an additional $77.8 million internationally.

Now, however, it seems Snyder may be considering taking a serialized approach to the property. However, the story’s source makes it clear that these are only talks, and nothing has been decided upon. It’s also unknown if any series would again be based on the original 12-issue series, the recent Before Watchmen prequel comics, or perhaps even a sequel. Even if it were to come to fruition, there’s no knowing how involved Snyder would be considering his involvement with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the subsequent Justice League films.

Interestingly, before Snyder came on for the original Watchmen, Terry Gilliam and screenwriter Charles McKeown attempted to adapt the comic in the 1990s, but gave up when they realized it would work better on cable TV. “Charles McKeown and I had written a script, and we were under pressure to keep it close to two hours and it just wasn’t working,” Gilliam said back in 2011. “With Zack’s film, I thought it took off brilliantly and then it just got… hmmm, because Watchmen should be like a TV series where you have plenty of time to develop each of the characters, because if you don’t have time to develop each one, it just becomes a comic book. It’s a character piece is what it is.”

For his part, the series’ creator, Alan Moore, has been opposed to any adaptations of his comic, even having his name removed from Watchmen’s credits. Gibbons’ was kept in.