HBO’s Watchmen season 2 won’t go ahead without Damon Lindelof, says Casey Bloys

HBO’s 2019 “Watchmen” series is one of the prestigious network’s most acclaimed creations, winning 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and ranking No. 3 on IndieWire’s list of the best limited series of the 21st century. But creator Damon Lindelof has since shown no interest in continuing the first season — and without Lindelof, it looks like HBO won’t be picking up another season.

“‘Watchmen’ was so much his creation,” said HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys. Species in a new cover story. “If you don’t think there’s a story you want to put your heart and soul into, it’s hard for me to believe it’s worth doing. This was a very special limited series for us. I’d put him in the pantheon of HBO greats. If Damon wants to visit again, he knows it’s an open door. But it’s hard for me to imagine doing one without him.”

Lindelof left his role as showrunner at the end of season 1. But the Leftovers and Lost co-creator, while clinging to the idea of ​​a one-off limited series for “Watchmen,” previously said he was open to handing the keys to another creative team.

“That was the story I wanted to tell, but it could be much more extensive than that.” Lindelof told Variety in 2020. “Not that I see myself as Willy Wonka, but it’s time to bring other kids into the factory.”

However, this does not seem to be Bloys’ desire.

Starring Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Hong Chau, Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr., “Watchmen” expanded the world of writer and artist Alan Moore’s 1986 comic book series. Dave Gibbons. Moore, who famously dislikes adaptations of his work and has long had issues with DC’s ownership of “Watchmen,” has repeatedly slammed the existence of the limited series and publicly vowed never to watch it. Lindelof’s next series, ‘Mrs. Davis,” which he co-produced with Tara Hernandez, premieres on the Peacock in April.

“Watchmen” isn’t the only HBO property that Bloys says fans can’t wait for. Asked about “Succession” spinoffs, Bloys said “never say never” and that he would support Jesse Armstrong if he had an idea, but “it doesn’t feel like a natural thing to do.” Regarding the rumored “Six Feet Under” revival, Bloys claimed it was never done and said a “True Blood” spinoff was in development, but “nothing that felt like it got there.”

Bloys too addressee the shift in strategy is evident at HBO Max, where he also serves as chief content officer, and has had shows canceled and pulled from the service over the past year. Bloys admits it was difficult to manage the changes and inform the artists involved, but says it’s a natural consequence of the unstable world of streaming.

“It was not easy. When I talk about this with the group here, it’s a bit of cold comfort, but the fact is that we’re not alone in finding this out. If it was just us, I think people would be like, “What the hell is going on?” But the whole industry, television and film, everybody is going through these very, very difficult seismic changes,” Bloys said. “Historically, HBO has been incredibly profitable and made a lot of money. It allows us to take risks and take big leaps. We’re all trying to figure out how to do that in this new world, in a streaming environment?”

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