There's casting news and some information that has to stay in the rumour section for now, at least until an official announcement from HBO. Jean Smart has joined the cast of the cable channel's Watchmen series, and, according to Slashfilm, Jeremy Irons' character is none other than an older version of Adrian "Ozymandias" Veidt.
Let's start with that one, shall we. Veidt was, of course, the super-rich tycoon and vigilante who headed off nuclear armageddon by faking a massive alien attack on New York, killing many people with the aim of saving many more. Left alive at the end of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel, he's forced to live with his choices. When news of Irons' casting broke, it mentioned him as the "aging and imperious lord of a British manor", which is certainly where we could see Veidt in his older years. There is, of course, no official word on that, so it remains in the sphere of rumours, but it's certainly something we could see connecting the stories.
Smart, meanwhile, is playing an FBI agent tasked with tracking down illegal vigilantes. Given that she's reportedly named Agent Blake, the speculation is rife that she's connected in some way to Edward Blake, AKA The Comedian, whose murder kicks off the graphic novel.
Producer/writer Damon Lindelof has said the series will channel the nostalgia of the graphic novel, using that story as historical canon for a show set in present-day times. The cast also already includes Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens and Andrew Howard. Watchmen, which is already in production, should hit screens next year.
Keep up to date with all the latest movie news, click here to subscribe to Empire on Great Magazines and have the latest issue delivered to your door every month.