David Bowie almost played Rorschach in the Watchmen movie

Legendary rocker and showman David Bowie was also quite the accomplished actor. During his lifetime, Bowie played an alien, a Goblin King, and even Nikola Tesla. And apparently, he also wanted to play the hero Rorschach in a Watchmen movie.

During a two-hour episode of the Paperback Writers: Graphic Content show on BBC Radio, Alan Moore — the man who wrote Watchmen, among a great many other graphic novels — revealed that before Zach Snyder made his version of Watchmen in 2009, director Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys, Jupiter Ascending) had designs to direct the film, and told Moore that Bowie wanted to play Rorschach. Click here and skip ahead to the 45:15 mark to hear it for yourself.

By the time the movie actually got made, Jackie Earle Haley ended up playing the damaged hero, and did an excellent job. It’s kind of hard to imagine someone with David Bowie’s ethereal screen presence playing an almost barbaric character of Rorschach. I could possibly see him as Elrond from The Lord of the Rings, though, another part he was once considered for.

If I was Snyder, I’d have asked Bowie to play Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias. Jeremy Irons will play that character in HBO’s Watchmen show, which premieres this coming Sunday. Check out the official synopsis for the series premiere:

"In an alternate America where police conceal their identities behind masks to protect themselves from a terrorist organization, Detective Angela Abar (Regina King) investigates the attempted murder of a fellow officer under the guidance of her friend and Chief, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson). Meanwhile, the Lord of a Country Estate (Jeremy Irons) receives an anniversary gift from his loyal servants. Written by Damon Lindelof; directed by Nicole Kassell."

Bring on October 20.

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h/t C-Net, Comicbook.com