While Zack Snyder’s work has always divided fans regarding its quality, no singular project has split fans more than his adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen. According to Patrick Wilson, who played Nite Owl in the film, audiences simply weren’t ready for what Snyder brought to the table.

Watchmen is one of the most beloved comics of all time, often being ranked as one of the best pieces of American literature. While some fans enjoyed Zack Snyder’s film adaptation of the story, many others didn’t enjoy the large deviations Snyder took from Alan Moore’s original graphic novel. When speaking on CinemaBlend’s podcast ReelBlend, Nite Owl actor Patrick Wilson revealed he thinks fans just weren’t ready for the darkness of the film:

“Watchmen is the only movie of mine that I’ve watched front to back since a premiere,” Wilson explains. “I wanted to look at it as an older guy, as a filmmaker. I knew Zack was ahead of the curve, y’know, it’s weird to say that audiences weren’t ready for it, but you need a movie like that. You need movies to go so dark, so then Avengers can go so light. But yeah, I love that movie. I mean, I’d love to do that movie now.”

This sentiment was echoed by fellow Watchmen star Jackie Earle Haley, who played Rorschach opposite of Patrick Wilson’s Nite Owl. While Zack Snyder’s work does certainly have its fans, and the adaptation is reflective of its time, certain people will still likely never accept the adaptation. This includes Watchmen‘s original writer Alan Moore who has made sure to distance himself from all adaptations of his work, including Snyder’s.

Who Watches The Watchmen?

Here is the official synopsis for Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen:

Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, WATCHMEN embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.

Watchmen stars Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, and James Wolk. The series is produced for HBO by White Rabbit in association with Warner Bros. Television, based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and published by DC.

Watchmen is available on HBO Max. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the show’s future, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more video content.