Comics
Why Damon Lindelof Should Feel Free to Defile “Watchmen”
What an odd headline. As a lifelong comic book fan, it’s a strange and new feeling to hope that something I’ve loved reading my entire life gets bastardized. With comic adaptations all the rage, I think we’re all collectively learning that direct adaptations aren’t always what’s best for the big screen, and it’s actually sorta, kinda nice to have each director inject their own flavor into their interpretation. After all these years, it’s time we accept that Tim Burton’s Batman is a goddamn masterpiece, but I digress…
Writer-producer Damon Lindelof is getting crucified by “Watchmen” fans for promising a different take on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ source material. It’s got so bad that he wrote the below heartfelt letter to fans that goes as far as to detail his father’s death. It’s heartbreaking. It’s also heartbreaking that he has to defend himself. I’ve been a longtime hater of Lindelof, especially after what he did to “Lost” fans (I assure you, my sources tell me he was winging it and injecting weird stuff with zero intentions to explain), and then leaving Ridley Scott scrambling to sequelize his Prometheus (originally planned as a one-shot until Lindelof sold him on a trilogy). It wasn’t until I binged HBO’s “The Leftovers” that I was able to forgive and forget. Lindelof took all the positives in his arsenal and, for once in his career, delivered on his promise. “The Leftovers” may just be one of the greatest shows ever. Point is, I believe Lindelof has learned from his past mistakes and is only going to bring his storytelling gifts to “Watchmen”.
As for defiling the source material, do we really need a near-direct adaptation again? Many critics panned Zack Snyder‘s 2009 adaptation, and yet, it was perfect. As suggested above, sometimes the source material isn’t best suited for the big screen, and Snyder’s Watchmen was proof of this. Lindelof needs to take some liberties with his fresh take and, based on his filmography, I expect a more fractured/mysterious delivery of the characters and their backstories. It’s 2018, everything doesn’t have to happen exactly like it did in the comics. If I can learn to trust in Lindelof, I’m hoping “Watchmen” fans can too…
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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