5:11PM, Jan 20, 2009
Fan-boys are in uproar at revelations that the cataclysmic ending of Watchmen will be changed from the original graphic novel. Insiders say it's a studio bid to take the comic book tale more mainstream and boost box office receipts.
The dark, violent and complex political/superhero thriller ends with a giant bang [Don't worry - we've written this story carefully so there'are no spoilers - Ed] rather than a whimper.
But studio bosses say the original ending is just way too out there for us average movie going Joes and have made director Zack Snyder shoot an alternate ending.
Along with Star Trek and Harry Potter, Watchmen is one of 2009's most anticipated movies. But taking a very adult comic that's been dubbed "unfilmable" by many was always going to be huge risk. Early bad press could sink Warner's $100m investment.
A source close to the project for the past year told Sky Movies: "It's like this. The original ending is weird and may just not work with post 9/11 audiences. The world is a different place from when (Alan) Moore wrote Watchmen. And remember - Warners also have their eyes on a franchise here..."
Furious fans are gutted. They say that with so much effort going into reproducing the colour and tone of a comic book set in an alternate 1985, any messing with the final act undermines the whole project.
Audience reports from a secret Warners US test screening in Portland, Oregon, last week show that the ending was very different from the comic book.
But it's not unusual for alternate endings to be tried out and hardcore Watchmen fans believe that Snyder may also be protecting his vision of the book's big finale from leaking out.
Meanwhile, Snyder introduced some of his cast AND a World exclusive premiere of some exclusive new Watchmen footage at the Scream Awards broadcast on US TV last night
