'Watchmen': Inside Zack Snyder's Outrageous New Movie

Image credit: Clay Enos/TM & © DC Comics

And then there was the worry that all that effort was all for naught. Last February, Twentieth Century Fox sought to stop Warner Bros. from moving forward with Watchmen's release, claiming via lawsuit that Warner Bros. had not properly acquired the distribution rights. The dispute exploded in the media last August when a judge declared that Fox's lawsuit had merit. ''How do you not know whether or not you have the right to make a movie?'' says Crudup. ''Hilarious.'' But after months of intense press coverage that put Watchmen in the mainstream eye, the two studios reached a settlement. ''It was scary, dude,'' says Jeffrey Dean Morgan. ''I thought for a while there that the movie would wind up on a shelf somewhere. But that sure as hell made for some great publicity, though.'' (Warner Bros. and Fox both declined to comment. As for producer Gordon: ''It was unfortunate,'' he says simply.)

Now Team Watchmen waits to see if any of that notoriety can help make them some money. With a $100 million-plus budget and a running time of 161 minutes, Watchmen will need to launch with a big opening weekend and strong reviews. ''The movie is impactful, tough, and true to the book that we all loved, and I'm very proud of it,'' says Robinov, who believes the film — every minute of it — has broad appeal. Snyder hopes the female fans he gained from 300 (and Gerard Butler's abs) will watch Watchmen, too, though it's hard to imagine that they'll be buzzing about this film in the same way. ''I think its human themes appeal to all,'' says Malin Akerman, whose character Silk Spectre is a knowing commentary on the obligatory superteam-sexpot heroine. ''But I do think men will have a much easier time swallowing all the violence.'' So, will geek love — and geek dollars — be enough? Snyder hopes so. He says he made the film for that crowd. ''I don't think there ever has been a movie more custom-made for them. Not at this scale,'' he says. ''And now they have an opportunity to really influence pop culture in a serious way, just as the comic influenced comics. They can say: 'These stories can be used to say something about the world. Give us more of them.'''

More Watchmen from EW:
Watchmen exclusive! Six EW covers

Watchmen: With the cast at Comic-Con

Watchmen: 17 stunning portraits

Watchmen: A chat with director Zack Snyder

Watchmen: Exclusive First Look!