HBO's Watchmen TV series is dangerously close to becoming a reality, as the network has announced the first wave of casting for the upcoming adaptation. Regina King (The Leftovers), Don Johnson (Miami Vice), Tim Blake Nelson (Monster), Louis Gossett Jr. (Roots), Adelaide Clemens (Rectify) and Andrew Howard (Outpost) have all been announced for the show, which has been given a pilot order by HBO. King will play the lead, but it's unclear at the present time who she, or any of the other cast members will be portraying.

Damon Lindelof is handling the small screen adaptation of Alan Moore's legendary DC Comics miniseries. The filmmaker and TV creator, known best for his work on Lost and The Leftovers, as well as movies like Prometheus and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, recently shared an in-depth, heartfelt letter on his Instagram, providing fans with his personal history with Watchmen, as well as some updates as to what we can expect from this particular adaptation. Here's some of what Lindelof had to say about it.

"We have no desire to 'adapt' the twelve issues Mr. Moore and Mr. Gibbons created thirty years ago. Those issues are sacred ground and they will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted. They will, however, be remixed. Because the bass lines in those familiar tracks are just too good and we'd be fools not to sample them. Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament. When the New Testament came along, it did not erase what came before it."

Zack Snyder previously adapted Watchmen for the big screen in 2009. The movie was sort of a bomb at the box office, but was a (mostly) slavish adaptation of Alan Moore's comic. With that in mind, it makes sense that Damon Lindelof and HBO wouldn't want to directly adapt the books again. So what are we going to get instead? Lindelof says that the series will be contemporary and will "ask new questions and explore the world through a fresh lens." He also won't be ignoring the impact a figure like President Trump has on our modern world.

"[Watchmen] was specific to the Eighties of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachv. Ours needs to resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin and the horse that he rides around on, shirtless."

Thanks to the letter, we also know that the series will include new and old characters. Needless to say, this isn't going to be the version of Watchmen you know and love. HBO is going out on a limb here and trying something new. At least they've got an interesting cast to start with. The pilot will be shooting this summer and the network will likely make their decision in regards to a full season pickup after that. The casting news comes to us courtesy of Variety. You can check out Damon Lindelof's full letter from his Instagram for yourself below.