Zack Snyder reveals the changes he would make to his Watchmen movie

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The director has eyes on *that* ending (and a longer runtime)

Watchmen
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

A lot has changed since Zack Snyder committed the 'unfilmable' Watchmen onto celluloid back in 2009. For one thing, the director has pushed his movie's runtimes even further, with Zack Snyder’s Justice League running for four hours – and it’s something that has made him reconsider how he would adapt Watchmen if he made it in 2021.

When asked by Uproxx whether he would tweak the movie’s ending now in light of technological advancements, Snyder said: "I love Watchmen. I have no regrets. I love that movie 100 percent. It’s exactly what I wanted…. But I would also say, that based on doing the movie that I just did, Justice League, I might consider it."

The movie’s original ending saw the graphic novel’s artificial squid threat replaced by a nuclear meltdown designed to frame Doctor Manhattan. The premise of the squid that decimated New York, including Adrian Veidt hiring special effects artists, was left out of the movie but the broad strokes remained. 

Snyder hinted that a shift back towards the squid-like creature from Watchmen "would have required a slightly longer movie."

A longer movie and an even more faithful adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal work might have fans clamoring for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, but don’t expect that anytime soon. Snyder has already released his 215-minute long Ultimate Cut of Watchmen and is, for now, under Netflix’s wing with a fledgling Army of the Dead franchise. Still, a #SquidCut hashtag couldn’t hurt.

While you wait for Army of the Dead’s release on May 21, check out some of the best Netflix shows on the streaming service.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.