Patrick Wilson’s supervillain Ocean Master in Aquaman was not his first involvement with a DC project. Wilson starred as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II in the 2009 film Watchmen, a Zack Snyder adaptation of the DC comics of the same name. It appears that despite the theatrical failure of the film, the Insidious actor is a fan of the movie. Watchmen eventually made a profit, as it became popular in the home media market.
While the film had its share of screenplay issues, audiences initially failed to appreciate Snyder’s filmmaking style in the film. The Stretch actor shared that the film was ahead of its time and that he would have loved to work on it now.
Also Read: Patrick Wilson Missed Out on a Major Ant-Man 3 Villain Role Before Bagging Aquaman’s Ocean Master
Patrick Wilson Loves His First DC Project Over His Other Films
Patrick Wilson recently stepped into the director’s role in the latest installment of the Insidious franchise. He appeared on the ReelBlend Podcast to discuss Insidious: The Red Door and his other projects. The conversation shifted to his role as Nite Owl in Watchmen which The Conjuring actor revealed was the only movie he watched again since its premiere. Wilson stated, “Watchmen is the only movie of mine that I have watched front-to-back since a premiere. That movie was awesome.”
When the host asked whether he watched it with his son, Wilson joked that he wanted to stay by his son’s side to fast-forward the intimate scene between him and Malin Åkerman in the film. However, he revealed that the real reason was his love for the film as a filmmaker. The Midway actor believed that audiences were not ready for Zack Snyder’s stylish filmmaking. Wilson told ReelBlend:
“I wanted to look at it as an older guy, as a filmmaker. I knew Zack [Snyder] was kind of… he was ahead of the curve. You know, it’s weird to say that audiences weren’t ready for it. But you need a movie like that. You need movies to go so dark that then Avengers can go so light. I do believe in that. But yeah, I love that movie. I’d love to do that movie now. I would, honestly, I think that’d be so awesome to just do it now.”
Watchmen grossed only $185.4 million at the box office against a production budget of $130-$138 million. Wilson went on to star in a major role in another DC film, Aquaman. The Hollow Point actor is set to reprise his role in the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Was Watchmen Ahead Of Its Time As Patrick Wilson Claims?
Watchmen was released in 2009, a time when audiences had already accepted darker-themed superhero movies like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The main criticism of the film happened to be a recurring issue with Zack Snyder’s movies – style over substance. Undoubtedly, Snyder’s film was a visual masterpiece, but it fell short in terms of the depth of the story and the nuances of the comics.
Moreover, Snyder’s adaptation could offer nothing more than Alan Moore’s original comics, as the Sucker Punch director stayed true to the comics. In comparison, the HBO series of the same name was considered a far superior take on the comics. The success of Watchmen in the home media is a testament to Snyder’s brilliant filmmaking, but whether it can be deemed a flawless story remains debatable.
As Patrick Wilson claims, the film might receive a more favorable response in theaters today. But this is largely due to the dedicated fan base of Zack Snyder and the wider acceptance of his projects. Watchmen is now available for streaming on Max.
