Jeremy Irons Confirmed To Be Playing Ozymandias in HBO's WATCHMEN Series
A few months ago is was rumored that Jeremy Irons might be taking on the role of Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias in HBO’s new Watchmen series. Today, /Film has confirmed that Irons is, in fact, playing the character who as you know played a key role in the original comic series. The character will obviously be older.
The character was previously described as an “aging and imperious lord of a British manor.” It was also said the he is "highly intelligent and won’t let you forget it. Think William Hurt with slight Asperger’s. He’s used to being obeyed and always correct. Arrogant, erudite and patrician. Physically fit, he’s never missed a workout in his life." That sounds a lot like Ozymandias.
We don’t know how big of a role that the character will have in the series, but since he is being played by such a great actor, I imagine that his role in the story will be a decent sized one.
The site is also reporting that Jean Smart (Legion, Fargo) has joined the cast and will be playing a mysterious FBI agent.
The series is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons DC graphic novel, but the series will not be an adaptation of that. It will be set in the same alternate history universe where superheroes are treated as outlaws, but the story will focus on a whole new present day setting and characters.
This series will expand on that universe and Damon Lindelof has stressed that he would not be messing with the original story, which the fans seem to be grateful for. Lindelof previously explained:
This story will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built…but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original. It has to vibrate with the seismic unpredictability of its own tectonic plates. It must ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens. Most importantly, it must be contemporary. The Old Testament was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachev. Ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless. And speaking of Horsemen, The End of the World is off the table…which means the heroes and villains–as if the two are distinguishable–are playing for different stakes entirely.
When talking about the new characters that will fill the story, Lindelof said:
"Some of the characters will be unknown. New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century of Costumed Adventuring through a surprising yet familiar set of eyes…and it is here we will be taking our greatest risks."
The cast for the series also includes Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith, and Adelynn Spoon.
Lindelof will write and executive produce the series and Nicole Kassell will direct and executive produce.