An Open Letter from David Hayter

[bunk]

http://www.hardcorenerdity.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2239098:BlogPost:40658

AN OPEN LETTER FROM A WATCHMEN SCREENWRITER

So it has been five months since I saw my first rough cut of WATCHMEN, and eight days since the premiere of the film I've been working on since late in the year 2000.

The reviews are out -- Some outstanding, others rankly dismissive, which can be frustrating for the people involved, (though I can only speak for myself,) because I firmly believe that WATCHMEN, the novel, must be read through more than once to even have the faintest grip on it. And I believe the film is the same.

I've seen it twice now, and despite having run the movie in my head thousands of times, my two viewings still don’t' allow me to view the film with the proper distance or objectivity. Is it Apocalypse Now? Is it Blade Runner? Is it Kubrick, or Starship Troopers? I don’t know yet.

All I know is that I had a pretty amazing experience the two times I've seen it. And both viewings produced remarkably different experiences. The point is, I have listened for years, to complaints from true comic book fans, that "not enough movies take the source material seriously." "Too many movies puss out," or "They change great stories, just to be commercial." Well, I f***ing dare you to say any one of those things about this movie.

This is a movie made by fans, for fans. Hundreds of people put in years of their lives to make this movie happen, and every one of them was insanely committed to retaining the integrity of this amazing, epic tale. This is a rare success story, bordering on the impossible, and every studio in town is watching to see if it will work. Hell, most of them own a piece of the movie.

So look, this is a note to the fanboys and fangirls. The true believers. Dedicated for life.

If the film made you think. Or argue with your friends. If it inspired a debate about the nature of man, or vigilante justice, or the horror of Nixon abolishing term limits. If you laughed at Bowie hanging with Adrian at Studio 54, or the Silhouette kissing that nurse.

Please go see the movie again next weekend.

You have to understand, everyone is watching to see how the film will do in its second week. If you care about movies that have a brain, or balls, (and this film's got both, literally), or true adaptations -- And if you're thinking of seeing it again anyway, please go back this weekend, Friday or Saturday night. Demonstrate the power of the fans, because it'll help let the people who pay for these movies know what we'd like to see. Because if it drops off the radar after the first weekend, they will never allow a film like this to be made again.

In the interests of full disclosure, let me also point out that I do not profit one cent from an increase in box office, although an increase in box office can add to the value of the writers' eventual residual profits from dvd and tv sales.

But I'm not saying it for money. I'm saying it for people like me. I'm saying it for people who love smart, dark entertainment, on a grand, operatic scale. I'm talking to the Snake fans, the Rorschach fans, the people of the Dark Knight.

And hey, if you hated the film, if you think we committed atrocities, or literary mistakes of a massive, cephalopodic nature. If the movie made you a little sick to your stomach, or made you feel bad about your life. If you hated it for whatever reason, that's cool too. I'm not suggesting you risk gastro-intestinal distress just for the sake of risky filmmaking.

But if you haven't seen it yet? Well, I'll just say this...

It may upset you. And it probably will upset you.

And all along, we really meant it to.

Because face it. All this time...You there, with the Smiley-face pin. Admit it.

All this time, you’ve been waiting for a director who was going to hit you in the face with this story. To just crack you in the jaw, and then bend you over the pool table with this story. With its utterly raw view of the darkest sides of human nature, expressed through its masks of action and beauty and twisted good intentions. Like a fry-basket full of hot grease in the face. Like the Comedian on the Grassy Knoll. I know, I know...

You say you don't like it. You say you've got issues. I get it.

And yet... You'll be thinking about this film, down the road. It'll nag at you. How it was rough and beautiful. How it went where it wanted to go, and you just hung on. How it was thoughtful and hateful and bleak and hilarious. And for Jackie Earle Haley.

Trust me. You'll come back, eventually. Just like Sally.

Might as well make it count for something.


David Hayter

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Anybody else hear Snakes voice in their head when they read that? The Metal Gear 2 theme rose as i approached the end. Hehe.

"MERRRRRRYLLLLL!"

 

[OctaviusINC]

Heh. Well said. I'll definitely be seeing it again Thursday.

 

[Symbiotic]

Good letter. Hayter rules.

 

[gqxsensazn]

Okay, I'm going to go watch it again because David Hayter told me to. His passion for the movie seemed to hit me.

I support David Hayter!

 

[Whiskey Tango]

When Snake talks, I listen.

 

[OctaviusINC]

Obviously Hayter doesn't care about Watchmen earning tons of money because what he doesn't tell you is that he snuck in the theater the second time he seen it using only a cardboard box and a tranquillizer gun.

 

[gqxsensazn]

Obviously Hayter doesn't care about Watchmen earning tons of money because what he doesn't tell you is that he snuck in the theater the second time he seen it using only a cardboard box and a tranquillizer gun.

No Octo-camo?

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I'll definately be seeing this at least once more, but Hayter is right, this movie is something different, and if it does well, me may be able to look forward to more movies like this in the future.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

The question is do you think he would've bothered to write this if Watchmen hadnt under-performed over the weekend?

 

[JerseyJoker]

Lol, even David knows the film is going to flop during its theatrical run.

 

[OctaviusINC]

No Octo-camo?

I don't know. He was wearing the box.

 

[Mister Sinister]

David Hayter could write the best movie ever made and people will still remember him for the Metal Gear Solid series.

 

[protoctista]

Tantamount to:

HELP WE'RE DROWNING!

 

[Raiden]

Well, after thinking about it for days, I'd definitely like to see it again. But it's hard for me to see it again due to my busy schedule, so I'm just gonna want for the DC to (hopefully) arrive in theatre in July. I do agree with Hayter that the studio and everyone involved seemed very passionate about making this movie, and instead of choosing to make it commercial (like Fox would've done), they made it for the fans. So despite the fact that I don't like everything in this movie, and it does have some flaws, I still like it alot. I hope it will hold up in the 2nd week.

 

[Nivek]

I might be seeing this again tonight, so I've done my part. Honestly, I enjoyed my first viewing, multiple viewing will just be to catch the details I missed the first time.

 

[chosen1]

HAHAHAHA so now the screenwriter is telling people to go and watch it again?? HAHAHAHA First Flop of 2009 Watchmen.

 

[Figs]

Tantamount to:

HELP WE'RE DROWNING!

HAHAHAHA so now the screenwriter is telling people to go and watch it again?? HAHAHAHA First Flop of 2009 Watchmen.

What you tools don't realize is, what he said is true.

If this movie doesn't do well it's going to be a big setback again for studios to take chances with non safe material.

So as much as you hated this movie(Squid aside, it was accurate to the book)the fact that you are laughing that it may bomb is incredible stupidity. Especially coming from people with the nerd mindset that the book is untouchable and you feel smarter than others for having read and understood it. It's like you don't care when risk films like this bomb and the studios go back to financing unintelligent films again.

 

[chosen1]

What you tools don't realize is, what he said is true.

If this movie doesn't do well it's going to be a big setback again for studios to take chances with non safe material.

So as much as you hated this movie(Squid aside, it was accurate to the book)the fact that you are laughing that it may bomb is incredible stupidity. Especially coming from people with the nerd mindset that the book is untouchable and you feel smarter than others for having read and understood it. It's like you don't care when risk films like this bomb and the studios go back to financing unintelligent films again.

You see THIS is the problem. They would rather have u swallow that lie u just explained to me. If the movie doesnt do well thats going to set movies back blah blah blah. GUYS ITS A LIE. THEY WANT UR MONEY! PERIOD! So Hulk Wasnt a risk. The spirit did that set any movies back? what about wanted? hmmm? Please dont let them do that to you. It is so important that this movie does not succeed.

 

[chosen1]

This movie stands no chance. The julia roberts movie is coming out and Race to Witch mountiain. BYE BYE Watchmen. t:

 

[bunk]

This movie stands no chance. The julia roberts movie is coming out and Race to Witch mountiain. BYE BYE Watchmen. t:

You should research audience demographics if you get a chance.

 

[chosen1]

You should research audience demographics if you get a chance.

How about u explain it to me.

 

[PaleRider]

You see THIS is the problem. They would rather have u swallow that lie u just explained to me. If the movie doesnt do well thats going to set movies back blah blah blah. GUYS ITS A LIE. THEY WANT UR MONEY! PERIOD! So Hulk Wasnt a risk. The spirit did that set any movies back? what about wanted? hmmm? Please dont let them do that to you. It is so important that this movie does not succeed.

well said and agreed

 

[J.Howlett]

Desperate letter because he knows the box office potential for this film just hit the wall after word of mouth has spread with the general audience....

 

[Figs]

You see THIS is the problem. They would rather have u swallow that lie u just explained to me. If the movie doesnt do well thats going to set movies back blah blah blah. GUYS ITS A LIE. THEY WANT UR MONEY! PERIOD! So Hulk Wasnt a risk. The spirit did that set any movies back? what about wanted? hmmm? Please dont let them do that to you. It is so important that this movie does not succeed.

Umm....the studio is the one that wants it to make money the most.

Hayter is one of two writers who basically wrote a draft, I don't imagine him getting much money aside from DVD sales like he said in his letter.

You can call me a chump for 'believing in lies' but I stand by what I said in my previous post.

Hulk and The Spirit weren't exactly risks like Watchmen.

Hulk was already a well known character, Ang Lee took it in a direction a lot of people didn't like or expect though which is why it didn't do as good as it could have, need more action in a lot of people's opinions. It had a typical but sloppy good guy fights bad guy at end and wins.

The Spirit wasn't a risk in terms of being a smart and talky kind of 'superhero' film like Watchmen. It was silly Loony Toons kind of antics with some sexy women thrown in.

Most people have never heard of Watchmen until the film was being made or when it actually got released. For it to not be non stop action, plus having nudity for mature audiences who can handle that if it works(which it does with Dr. Manhattan since we all know that he loses touch with humanity...what's the point of wearing clothes when your basically a god)this movie was far from your typical superhero films that we are used to.

TDK comes close in terms of taking the material that seriously but in the end still comes just a tiny bit short due to lack of violence/nudity. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that is why Watchmen is a bit better than TDK and I'm not saying TDK should have had nudity or been more violent. I'm simply bringing up the many risks Watchmen took, it was a comic book film solely for adults.