Pssst: Wanna See Some Exclusive Photos From The Set of HBO’s WATCHMEN?
Filming on HBO's Watchmen pilot is officially underway in Macon, Georgia, where the city's downtown area has apparently been extensively redressed to stand in for (checks notes) Tulsa, Oklahoma. Late last night, we received an email from a friendly BMD reader who managed to take a stroll through that set, snapping some photos along the way.
Let's see what we can see.
A few weeks ago we learned that Watchmen would be something of an update of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal comic series, with showrunner Damon Lindelof calling the series a "remix" of the original source material. Lindelof didn't nail down the exact time period in which Watchmen would take place, but indicated that it might not take place in the mid-'80s.
That said, the string of shops seen here - a clothing store called "Millenium", the "Milk & Hanoi Bakery" and what we're guessing is a comic store by the name of "Treasure Island" - all look like they'd fit right into that decade; even the font used on these signs looks ripped straight from Gibbons' panels.
Are the scenes being shot here for a flashback sequence? Or could it be that, in this reality, downtown Tulsa simply hasn't been given an overhaul in several decades? We have no idea, but seeing those signs is pretty intriguing (we're particularly fond of Treasure Island).
Meanwhile, this is apparently a look at one of the cabs that will be glimpsed on the mean streets of Tulsa. As you can see, the traditional Yellow Cab design has been replaced by something a bit more patriotic: the Red White & Blue Cab Company. Truly, this is a cab fit for The Comedian (note: we have no idea if The Comedian will even appear in this version of Watchmen).
This photo's our favorite: a bus stop ad for a TV series called American Hero Story: Minutemen (at least, we're guessing it's a TV show: check out that note down at the bottom: "Tuesdays, This June"), which is obviously a riff on Ryan Murphy and FX's long-running American Horror Story series. Maybe, in this version of the Watchmen universe, they've got an entire anthology series dedicated to dramatizing the exploits of the various caped crusaders who've come and gone over the years.
Also interesting: that map on the right, which confirms that Macon, GA has been redressed as Tulsa (this report, from a local Macon TV news station, seems to believe the area's been overhauled to stand in for Brooklyn, which is the faux name the Watchmen pilot's been shooting under; we're not so sure we agree with their police work there, Lou).
And, finally, there's this shot: a look at a gastropub by the name of "Pale Horse". Once again, the logo treatment looks as if it was lifted directly from one of Gibbons' pages (we're also sure the apocalyptic name "Pale Horse" has not been chosen at random). We would 100% have some drinks inside this joint.
What do you folks think? Got any theories? Spot anything we missed? Hit the comments below to let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more on HBO's Watchmen as it becomes available. We're super curious to find out where all of this is gonna lead.
(PS: Thanks so much to the BMD reader who sent these in! You rule, sir.)
