‘Watchmen’ Premiere: Damon Lindelof Praises Regina King, Teases Dr. Manhattan Casting — Photos

The “Watchmen” cast with Damon Lindelof and Nicole Kassell

“When I closed my eyes and pictured Regina King towering over Sunset Boulevard, clad in dark leather, a superhero in every way that a hero can be super, I was suddenly compelled to do everything in my power to make this a reality,” Lindelof said. “Now that it is, I cannot express my profound gratitude for Regina. She’s so much more than No. 1 on the callsheet. She is a natural leader, a King, and a Queen, and most of all an inspiration for all of us lucky enough to collaborate with her.”

Regina King at the “Watchmen” premiere

In his introduction for Lindelof, HBO programming chief Casey Bloys said that night was the culmination of two-plus years of development and far longer finding the right team — and the rights themselves.

“The rights were very, very complicated,” Bloys told the crowd gathered at the Arclight theater in Hollywood. “It took several years to get them done. […] There may be a dead lawyer buried [somewhere], I’m not sure. But they figured it out.”

“What you’re going to see here tonight represents the better part of two years’ hard work,” Bloys said. 

Damon Lindelof, Regina King and Casey Bloys at the ‘Watchmen’ premiere

Bloys also made a point to praise director and executive producer Nicole Kassell. 

“Nikki directed the pilot, she directed Episode 1, Episode 2, and I believe Episode 8 and she did a phenomenal job,” Bloys said, prompting an ovation from the crowd. “I don’t know if we’re still having the conversation in Hollywood about women directing comic book franchises — if we are, just watch this, and that should put an end to that debate very quickly.”

Nicole Kassell, director and executive producer

Lindelof also made a point to single out his director’s contributions.

“Then came Nicole Kassell, fresh off killing God with a lion — that’s a ‘Leftovers’ reference for the 14 of you familiar with ‘The Leftovers,” he said, referencing Kassell’s work on “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World” during the final season of “The Leftovers.” “But Nikki, our fearless director, had no preexisting relationship with the comics, so I knew she would fall in love with it and make you fall in love with it, too. She said her approach would be a mix between ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ ‘Amelie,’ ‘Children of Men,’ and a Rihanna video — and that sounded pretty fucking ‘Watchmen’ to me.”

Tom Spezialy, executive producer (“Watchmen,” “The Leftovers”)

Bloys, who first worked with Lindelof during the third season of “The Leftovers,” said he wanted to make sure the writer made his next project at HBO. 

“Damon is in a class by himself among writers,” Bloys said. “To be able to see him write character, dialogue, story, and infuse it all with big, huge thematics, and make it look easy, it truly is a thing to behold.”

“So we were all very clear that after ‘The Leftovers,’ Damon was going to do his next show for HBO. One thing I’ll admit tonight is that I probably would’ve said yes to anything Damon pitched me. If he would’ve said, let’s reboot ‘Silver Spoons,’ I would’ve said, ‘Yes!'”

Lindelof notably brought over more than just King from his previous series. Tom Spezialy, who Lindelof hailed as the secret weapon of both “Watchmen” and “The Leftovers,” is on board as an executive producer. Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, and Carly Wray were all writers on “The Leftovers” before joining the “Watchmen” writers’ room, while Liza Richardson returned as the music supervisor and Victoria Thomas led the casting department. 

There are more “Leftovers” connections to be discovered as the episodes roll out, but there’s one potential casting that many fans have been curious about since “Watchmen” was first announced.

Amy Brenneman attends the “Watchmen” premiere

Who will play Dr. Manhattan? The tall, blue, invulnerable, clairvoyant, very naked superbeing created for the original comic has been teased through a few shots of his hands in various trailers and teasers, but the casting remains under wraps. 

Some of wondered, given Lindelof’s working relationship with Justin Theroux as well as his penchant for cracking jokes about his penis, if the former “Leftovers” star would be the new Dr. Manhattan — a theory Lindelof addressed in jest at the premiere.

“Justin Theroux, also of ‘The Leftovers,’ called me and said he’d gotten down to 0.0006 percent body fat, he’d shaved all of his hair, and he’d painted himself blue so he could get a part in ‘Watchmen,'” Lindelof said. “And I said, ‘Justin, we’re not even sure yet if Dr. Manhattan is even going to be in the show.’ And he said, ‘Who’s Dr. Manhattan?'”

Lindelof went on to say there would not be a part in “Watchmen” for Theroux because of his rule about working with the same actors twice. …but then he explained why he broke that rule for Regina King. 

Regina King and Jean Smart at the “Watchmen” premiere’s after-party

With a sliver of hope remaining for one more “Leftovers” reunion, “Watchmen” debuted to a riveted crowd. Spotted in attendance, aside from the series’ cast and crew, were actors Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”), Amy Brenneman (“The Leftovers”), Adam Scott (“Big Little Lies”), Suzanne Cryer (“Silicon Valley”), Sarunas Jackson (“Insecure”), and more.

Don Johnson and Dylan Schombing

The after-party was held at The Sunset Room, just down the street from the Arclight. Guests were greeted by servers wearing black hoodies with yellow “Watchmen” emblems painted on — and staff at the back of the event space were making custom sweatshirts for anyone who stood in line. Costumes from the show were put on mannequins in each room, and specialty cocktails like the Dr. Manhattan (a — wait for it — traditional manhattan) were served by bartenders. A desert station was set up under the bakery logo used by King’s character for cover, and photo opportunities were set up inside the Owlship (Nite Owl’s flying craft) as well as a booth that looked like you were being rained on by squids.

Don Johnson and family at the “Watchmen” premiere

Take a look at the rest of the red carpet photos below. Read our spoiler-free review of the series here, and keep checking IndieWire for more coverage throughout the nine-episode run.

“Watchmen” premieres Sunday, October 20 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Don Johnson, Regina King, and Damon Lindelof

Don Johnson plays Chief Judd Crawford in “Watchmen.”

Jean Smart

Jean Smart plays FBI Agent Laurie Blake in “Watchmen.”

Jean Smart

Jean Smart plays FBI Agent Laurie Blake in “Watchmen.”

Tim Blake Nelson

Tim Blake Nelson plays a police detective known as Looking Glass in “Watchmen.”

Yahya Adbul-Meteen II

Yahya Adbul-Meteen II plays Cal Abar, Angela’s husband, in “Watchmen.”

Hong Chau

Hong Chau plays Lady Trieu, an eccentric trillionaire working in Tulsa, Oklahoma in “Watchmen.”

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the original score for “Watchmen.”

Don Johnson and director Stephen Williams

Stephen Williams directs multiple episodes of “Watchmen.”

Andrew Howard

Andrew Howard plays a police detective known as Red Scare in “Watchmen.”

James Wolk

James Wolk plays Senator Keane in “Watchmen.”

Steven Norfleet

Steven Norfleet is a key guest star in “Watchmen.”

Tom Mison

Tom Mison plays Mr. Phillips in “Watchmen.”

Frances Fisher

Frances Fisher plays Jane Crawford, Judd’s wife and Angela’s friend, in “Watchmen.”

Damon Lindelof and Andrew Howard

Damon Lindelof and Andrew Howard attend the premiere’s after-party.

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport and Regina King

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, who plays an undisclosed character in “Watchmen,” and Regina King attend the premiere’s after-party.