Summary
Watchmen: Chapter 1is set in a different universe in which costumed superheroes emerged in the 1940s-1960s, which had an irreparable impact on the world. Rorschach, a once hero turned vigilante, begins an unsanctioned investigation into the odd death of The Comedian, a government superhero. As he begins to uncover pieces of the mystery, he and his retired colleagues, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan, and Ozymandias are forced to face the secrets of their past and one another with the safety of the world at stake as war creeps closer.
Watchmen: Chapter 1is based on the criticallyacclaimed series by Alan Mooreand Dave Gibbons. The animation style stays true to the comics bringing the panels to life on screen like never before.Watchmenis a study in humanity with the star-studded voice cast bringing depth to their performances with Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Matthew Rhys, Troy Baker, and Rick D. Wasserman
Watchmen Chapter 1 & 2: Release Date, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
A pair of new Watchmen animated films will be released in 2024, and a great deal of information about the upcoming release is now available.
Screen Rantinterviewed Titus Welliver about playingRorschach inWatchmen: Chapter 1. He explained how Rorschach being an abuse survivor is at the heart of the character and how his own love for the comics was a huge motivation in taking the part. Welliver also praised the animation style and how it brings the comic book panels to life on screen.
Rorschach Is Not Only A Survivor But Also “A Byproduct Of Physical And Mental Abuse”
Screen Rant: The way that you do Rorschach’s voice, it was as if you pulled his voice out of my mind and put it into your performance. So what was your approach to capturing the essence of Rorschach’s voice and personality?
Titus Welliver: For me, more than anything, what I wanted to do was, because I think it’s very easy for a person on first read to kind of just consider Rorschach as being a guy who’s out there righting wrongs. It’s his form of justice, but to dismiss him as just being crazy and unhinged and all that. The character has tremendous depth. Who he is, he’s a survivor and he’s a byproduct of physical and mental abuse that he has sustained.
So yeah, he’s damaged. There’s no question about it. I wouldn’t necessarily, people have say he’s schizophrenic and this and that, but you don’t really want to play that tone because really the intent of him is he has a forward path. And he’s very specific about that.
I wanted to try somehow because he doesn’t really talk about it, but this is sort of a quasi magic trick to bring with inflections just in certain sentences or beats and moments just with an intonation to create some level of humanity and accessibility to the character. That was something I really was conscious of trying to do. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if I’ve succeeded or not.
You did such a great job because you bring the intimidation that I expect from Rorschach, but also the intelligence, because I think that’s one thing that kind of goes overlooked is how smart this guy is at putting these puzzle pieces together. You have the full package of what I always imagined the character to sound like. So when I was reading the graphic novel kind of growing up, your voice is almost exactly what I imagined Rorschach to sound like, which is absolutely incredible. Speaking of the graphic novel, how familiar were you with theWatchmengraphic novel prior to being cast? And did that impact your performance at all?
Titus Welliver: Well, I was very familiar with it. A friend of mine gave me a copy of it when it first came out. Being a longtime collector and avid comic collector, it was a mindblower because we’d never seen anything like that before. I mean, the closest to adult content within that world was really Heavy Metal Magazine or a Creepy & Eerie kind of did a bit of that. But this was something that was in an overreaching way, it was social commentary.
It was an all encompassing thing, and it had great breadth to it. So it wasn’t just like, it was the human condition with the backdrop of these people being superheroes. So I was very familiar with it. Like everybody else who loved the book, I’ve been waiting for years and years for the film, and they were always banding around names. Over the years it would be like a Fangoria or Cinefantastic.
Oh, word has it that Brian Singer’s going to do it, or Ridley Scott’s going to do it. And then we finally got Zach Snyder and he made the film and I was like, Hallelujah. In the same way that I think that is just a live action lift directly from the panels. I think it’s a perfect thing. DC had the great sense to do this with a mix of cell animation and CG. So literally what I have seen of it, the trailer, and they show me little snippets here and there. It’s a 100% faithful rendering of the graphic novel. It’s like the panels start talking.
Watchmen Chapter 1 Is “As Close To Having The Book In Front Of You” On Screen
“Being someone who loves comic book art, to deviate from that would’ve been catastrophic.”
Absolutely. And I think that’s what’s so impressive, and not just with the way that this was made, but the power of the story of theWatchmen. Because whether it be Zach Snyder’s live-action version, or whether it be this animated version, the core of that story is still there and it’s still impactful. What do you think fans of the originalWatchmengraphic novel will appreciate the most about this animated adaptation?
Titus Welliver: I think the fact that the adaptation is so accurate in detail with the physical images, with the artwork. If you didn’t have that, it just wouldn’t work. It just really would not work. Being someone who loves comic book art, graphic novel art to deviate from that would’ve been catastrophic. I just think it wouldn’t have worked. I had that conversation on day one.
I said, please tell me you’re going to… I don’t want to see… I mean, I appreciate CG stuff and I love Batman The animated series, and I’m a huge anime guy, Ghost in the Shell. I’m a huge animation freak. But they did it. They took it on board, and I think it’s as close to having the book in front of you, but you’re seeing on a screen and there’s no separation of the panels.
About Watchmen: Chapter 1
In an alternate world history shaped by superheroes, once-celebrated “costumed adventurers” have been banned by a society disenchanted with vigilantism. Now, in 1985, the murder of The Comedian, a hero-turned-government operative, draws the attention of Rorschach, the last of the outlawed vigilantes. Rorschach’s investigation embroils his retired colleagues, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias, in conflict with their pasts, with each other and in a mystery that threatens their lives and a world on the brink of war.
Check out our otherWatchmen Chapter 1interviews:
Watchmen: Chapter 1is available on digital now and will release on Blu-ray and 4K on August 27.
Watchmen: Chapter 1
Cast
A mysterious murder in an alternate 1985 sets the stage for an unraveling conspiracy involving former superheroes in this animated update of the classic series. As tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union escalate, masked vigilantes grapple with their pasts while confronting a dark truth that could change the world forever.
