By Kofi Outlaw

Check out these cool pics from the set of the upcoming WATCHMEN movie, which is currently in production in Vancouver. From what I see, set designers have done a pretty good job of bringing 1980’s New York City to life.

For those outside the circle of the comic book-geek-elite, WATCHMEN was a groundbreaking miniseries from famed comic book auteur Alan Moore (who recently made a rare public appearance on THE SIMPSONS). The story follows a retired group of super heroes trying to acclimate to their “normal” lives. Mystery ensues, and old secrets resurface when an unknown assassin begins murdering the retired heroes, leaving the last vigilante in America, the enigmatic Rorschach, to track down the Killer. You can actually see Rorschach if you look closely at the photo with the Nixon poster.

WATCHMEN is being helmed by director Zack Snyder (300), it will star Carla Gugino (SIN CITY), Patrick Wilson (LITTLE CHILDREN), Malin Akerman (HEARTBREAK KID), Billy Crudup (BIG FISH), Jeffery Dean Morgan (GREY’S ANATOMY), Matthew Goode (MATCH POINT), and Academy Award Nominee Jackie Earle Haley (LITTLE CHILDREN) as Rorschach.

For now take a gander at the pics and these cool stats about the set design, then rant back and let us know if you’re as giddy about WATCHMEN as we are!





•5,800 feet of neon requiring 24,000 watts of power
• 100 unique and custom-designed graphics created for the various storefronts
• 5,000 square feet of custom posters
• Street had to work for 1938, 1945, 1953, 1957, 1964, 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1985
• 1,040 feet of 1:1 scale New York streets
• 98,400 square feet of exterior scenery
• 12,500 square feet of interior scenery
• Building heights range from 23′9″ to 42′6″
• 10,325 16-foot 2×4s
• 3,600 sheets of OSB (plywood-like construction material)
• 384,000 square feet of foam brick
• 200,000 nails
• 3,500 tubes of construction adhesive
• 160,000 lbs. of steel I-beams support the facades
• 300 cubic meters of concrete
• 6,000 square feet of glass
• 4,800 square feet of plexiglass
• 20,000 donuts were consumed by the construction crew
• 20,000 gallons of water and 3,000 gallons of Gatorade was drunk by the crew

(slashfilm.com)

Links
1 http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/11/26/photos-watchmens-new-york-city-backlot-set/
2 http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/20/FOX-ANIMATION-BLOCK----November-18th.aspx