It’s hard to describe the mixed emotions I had when I heard Watchmen was finally being made into a movie. After hearing about it for so many years, I think we all had gotten used to the idea that it would never happen. And what would the harm be in that, really? It’s one of the most highly regarded comics series ever made, so right away, the filmmakers had so much to live up to they almost had nowhere to go but down. Plus, it’s dense, extremely verbal, and relies on several conceits of the comics medium to truly work well. Then, of course, there are the casting issues. Comics fans are almost never happy to hear who’s been cast to play a character, and these are some mighty big boots to fill.
 

So I guess we were all a little surprised when news came that Watchmen was no-kidding-this-time, we-really-mean-it getting made. And we were all pleasantly surprised (I know I was) when trailers and advance movie stills looked good. Very good even. This looked promising, almost too good to be true. And there’s the rub: With the movie set to open this March, a new lawsuit threatens to keep the movie from being released. You can read more about it here, but to sum it up quickly, apparently Fox owns the distribution rights to the movie, not Warner Bros. A trial will start on January 20 to work out the legal details. (Did it really need to come to this? I doubt Fox thinks it can really make a better, more successful version of the movie—certainly not quickly. So can’t both parties work out some kind of deal to make everybody happy and let the movie open on time?)

So whether the movie will really open is in question for now, but hope springs eternal. After 20 years of talk about a movie version, it would be a crime to come this close. What’s worse is that I never would have cared before. Not only did I not have much hope to ever see a movie version, but I didn’t really want to. But something changed a few months ago when I saw the trailer and got caught up in the hype. I really started to believe it could be good. Great, even. And I really want to see it now.
 
Can the movie really live up to its source material’s history, its reputation, and (perhaps even more daunting) its legacy? We were all going to find out on March 6. Hopefully we still will.