'Watchmen' to debut on HBO on Oct. 20

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen is slated to premiere on HBO on Oct. 20.

Starring Regina King, Don Johnson, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Tom Mison and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the action-drama is set in "an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws," a synopsis said.

Damon Lindelof -- whose credits include Lost and The Leftovers -- wrote the pilot and is executive producing the project.

Based on the graphic novels by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the superhero series comes a decade after a Watchmen film featuring Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan was released in theaters.