Watchmen coverBoth CHUD and Dark Horizons are reporting 300's Zack Snyder may be close to announcing the first major cast member of his big screen adaptation of the Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons classic Watchmen: Billy Crudup, who played the legendary rocker from Cameron Crowe's Oscar-winning Almost Famous, will star as the blue-skinned and omnipotent Dr. Jon Manhattan.

If true, Crudup is an inspired choice to play Manhattan, a nice mix of a pair of 60s superhero refugees, Gold Key's Dr. Solar, Man of the Atom and Charlton Comics' Captain Atom. But it has me wondering how much screen time Crudup will spend naked, since I recall Dr. Manhattan had a persistent habit of forgetting his clothes -- along with his humanity -- as the series progressed...

Just the same, expect Moore to be just as adamant and successful in having his name removed from Watchmen as it was from the Wachowski Bros./James McTeigue production of V For Vendetta a year ago.

There's a distaste in some circles about a Watchmen movie being considered in the first place -- could a traditional two-hour movie ever capture the important nuances of the Moore/Gibbons masterpiece? -- no matter who's making the attempt. But, how about YOU? Is Warner Bros. making a huge mistake about Watchmen or is the potential reward well worth the risk?

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