Watchmen Chapter I is a 2024 American adult animated superhero film directed by Brandon Vietti and written by J. Michael Straczynski. It stars an ensemble cast including Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, and Michael Cerveris. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Paramount Pictures, and DC Entertainment,[1] and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the film is based on the DC Comics limited series Watchmen co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons with co-creator and author Alan Moore choosing to remain uncredited.[2] Gibbons served as a consulting producer on the film. Animation for the film was provided by Studio Mir.
| Watchmen Chapter I | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Brandon Vietti |
| Written by | J. Michael Straczynski |
| Based on | Watchmen by Dave Gibbons |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Cris Mertens |
| Music by | Tim Kelly |
| Animation by | Studio Mir |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2024) |
Watchmen Chapter I retells the story of the first 6 issues of the original 12-issue maxiseries from DC Comics, cover-dated September 1986 to October 1987.
Voice cast
edit| Voice actor[3] | Character |
|---|---|
| Appearing in both parts | |
| Matthew Rhys | Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II |
| Katee Sackhoff | Laurie Juspeczyk / Silk Spectre II |
| Titus Welliver | Walter Kovacs / Rorschach |
| Troy Baker | Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias |
| Rick D. Wasserman | Edward Blake / Comedian |
| Adrienne Barbeau | Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre I |
| Michael Cerveris | Jonathan Osterman / Dr. Manhattan |
| Geoff Pierson | Hollis Mason / Nite Owl I |
| Kari Wahlgren | Female Knot Top |
| Yuri Lowenthal | Knot Top #2 |
| Phil LaMarr | Comic Book Narrator, Bernie |
| Jason Spisak | Doug Roth |
| John Marshall Jones | Hooded Justice |
| Max Koch | Bernard, President Nixon |
| Part One | |
| Matthew Rhys | Photographer #3 |
| Troy Baker | Minister, Benny Anger |
| Rick D. Wasserman | Male Citizen #1, Photographer #2 |
| Adrienne Barbeau | TV Broadcaster |
| Michael Cerveris | Father |
| Corey Burton | Captain Metropolis, Forbes, American Newscaster |
| Yuri Lowenthal | Wally Weaver, Criminal #1 |
| Jeffrey Combs | Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic, British Newscaster, Photographer #1 |
| Phil LaMarr | Security Guard |
| John Marshall Jones | General #1, Criminal #2 |
| Kari Wahlgren | Janey Slater, Female Citizen #1 |
| Jason Spisak | President John F. Kennedy, Restaurant Cook |
| Max Koch | Detective Joe Bourquin |
| Kelly Hu | Yvonne, Vietnamese Woman |
| Grey Griffin | Spanish Newscaster, Female Citizen #2 |
| Dwight Schultz | Detective Steve Fine, Happy Harry |
| Part Two | |
| Geoff Pierson | Prison Guard #1 |
| Zehra Fazal | Hira Manish, Newscaster |
| Yuri Lowenthal | Seymour, Bully #1 |
| Phil LaMarr | Male Citizen #1 |
| Kari Wahlgren | Sylvia Kovacs |
| Phil Fondacaro | Tom Ryan, Big Figure |
| Max Koch | Lawrence Andrews |
| Grey Griffin | Female Citizen #1, Advisor #1 |
| Long Nguyen | Attendant #1 |
| Jason Spisak | Hector Godfrey, Bully #2 |
Production
editIt was reported in April 2017 that Warner Bros. would develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book series.[4] It was officially confirmed in 2023 that an animated film adaptation was in development and would be released in 2024.[5] A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2024, with it being revealed to be a two-film adaptation.[6][7] Director Brandon Vietti praised the animation work done by Studio Mir, stating in an interview that "It was a kind of material and filmmaking that I don't think the studio had approached before, but we had a lot of great discussions about it and they really rose to the challenge."[8]
Release and reception
editWatchmen Chapter I received a digital release on August 13, 2024.[9] The film was released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on August 27, 2024.[10]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[11] William Bibbiani of TheWrap felt that the film respectfully adapted the story, but struggled to properly convey its complexity and described the visual aesthetic as "serviceable but not entirely effective".[12] Brad Cook of Flickering Myth agreed, calling the film a "very faithful adaptation" with a visual style that "hews closely to artist Dave Gibbons' well-regarded depictions of the characters and the alternate 1985 timeline they inhabit".[13]
Sequel
editA single sequel entitled Watchmen Chapter II is expected to cover the second half of the story, completing the retelling of the 12-issue maxiseries. Chapter II is scheduled to be on Digital HD on November 26, 2024, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 3.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Watchmen Chapter I: Company credits". IMDb. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ "Watchmen Creator Alan Moore Has Surprising Advice For Writers". Screen Rant. April 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Watchmen Chapter 1 (2024) – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Gerding, Stephen (April 13, 2017). "Watchmen Is Getting an R-Rated Animated Adaptation". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (July 22, 2023). "Comic-Con 2023: DC Announces Crisis on Infinite Earths and Watchmen Animated Movies". IGN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Cripe, Michael (June 13, 2024). "We Just Got a Surprise First Look at the Upcoming Watchmen Animated Films". IGN. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Perine, Aaron (July 22, 2023). "New Watchmen Movie Announced". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (August 13, 2024). "'Watchmen: Chapter 1' Director Brandon Vietti Unmasks the Animated Antiheroes". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (July 10, 2024). "Watchmen Chapter I: Exclusive Trailer, Voice Cast, Boxart and Release Date". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "WarnerBros.com | Watchmen Chapter I | Movies". WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ "Watchmen Chapter I". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Bibbiani, William (August 13, 2024). "Watchmen: Chapter 1 Review". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Cook, Brad (August 13, 2024). "Watchmen: Chapter 1 (2024) – Movie Review". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (October 16, 2024). "Watchmen Chapter II Exclusive Trailer". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
