HBO gave an official series order to its first superhero TV show, 'Watchmen,' which has an all-star cast

Watchmen

HBO has ordered superhero show "Watchmen" to series.
The network revealed in a video teaser on Twitter that it will premiere in 2019.
The show is based on the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name.
The series is being developed by "Lost" and "The Leftovers" co-creator Damon Lindelof.

HBO has officially given a series order to its first superhero show, "Watchmen," based on the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons.

The show was in the pilot stage until now, but HBO released a short teaser video on the network's Twitter on Friday to celebrate the series order. The video shows the text "Nothing ever ends" and the bloody smiley face that is the novel's signature image, before revealing that the show will premiere in 2019.

Nothing ever ends. #WatchmenHBO #DamonLindelof pic.twitter.com/ioJU0dQipw
— HBO (@HBO) August 17, 2018

"Nothing ever ends" is a reference to a quote from the graphic novel, in which the "smartest man" on Earth Ozymandias asks the omnipotent Dr. Manhattan if, in the end, he was right to sacrifice so many lives for what he believes is the greater good. Manhattan responds, "In the end? Nothing ever ends."

The show's source material is widely regarded as the best graphic novel of all time. It takes place in an alternate reality 1980s where the world is on the brink of war. A group of masked vigilantes find themselves involved in a grand conspiracy after one of their own is murdered.

After a long history of failed attempts, it was finally adapted into a film by director Zack Snyder in 2009 to mixed critical reception. "Lost" and "The Leftovers" co-creator Damon Lindelof is developing the HBO series.

Lindelof revealed plot details about the series in a letter on Instagram in May. The show will be an original story with new characters, but take place in the universe of the graphic novel. He implied it would be set in a post-Trump world.

Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith, and Adelynn Spoonmake up the all-star cast.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'