And the Watchmen movie will be...?

If you're at all like me, you've dreamed of a Watchmen movie for a long time. For that brief period when Terry Gilliam was attached, I believed the book would get the movie it deserved. But Hollywood never quite worked it out, and that was a fan's biggest fear. The last thing any lover of the novel would want is some hokey summer blockbuster or lo-rent direct-to-video. My dream held vision of a Watchmen film that contended for best picture. A bit much to ask, but hey, it's Watchmen.

Well, Hollywood is right good and fucked beyond redemption, so as a blanket attitude I don't expect much. That's why the drizzling of info and imagery from Zack Snyder's production surprised me. That guy is trying to do something as best he can, and its starting to look like he's going to pull it off!

But... as I wrote prior, I just finished re-reading the novel. How the fuck is this going to be adapted to a movie?

Is it really going to follow the story? Can screen time be taken up by vast segments of pure dialog? Will they at least keep all the best dialog, like Dan's thoughts about their past to Laurie? Doctor Manhattan remembering his life? Rorshach's explanation of his origin? Ozymandias' crazy awesome explanation of his master plan?

How do you adapt the nine-panel grid narrative of the comics to much more linear film storytelling. Is the movie going to skip around in the timeline at random intervals or will it be told from front to end?

What are they going to cut out? What are they going to add?

How come Nite Owl looks all buff and cut like Batman? He's supposed to be kinda out of shape, that's part of his charm as he gets back into the action...

Will they keep the ending? Or what did they change it to??? Will it work as well?

It it just an adaptation of the novel? Are they going to try any meta storytelling in regards to film or hollywood? Will the symbolism and metaphors be culled direclty from the novel or instead reflect on the movie? Will they go highbrow or lowbrow? Will there be a car chase? (Never underestimate Hollywood's ability to insert a car chase into a movie)

I think that while I may be looking forward to the movie, I'm really looking forward to some insane director's cut 5-hour DVD that I can sit and watch with the book in my hands. Comparing frames and shots to the comics panels, all geek-like... at least if the movie is half as good as we hope it is.