Watch Ray Stevenson and Iain Glen in test footage from David Hayter's 2003 stab at Watchmen

Watch Ray Stevenson and Iain Glen in test footage from David Hayter's 2003 stab at Watchmen
Screenshot: David Hayter

Zack Snyder’s 2009 Watchmen adaptation emerged after decades of spurts and stops, the most famous of which being a version from X2 scribe (and Solid Snake voice actor) David Hayter. Scraps of Hayter’s draft made it into Snyder’s film, but it’s safe to say the writer’s reportedly squid-less vision has been lost forever to time. Or, at least, it was safe to say—today, Hayter took to Twitter with some compelling 2003-era test footage he filmed with cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts.

In it, Punisher: War Zone’s Ray Stevenson and Game Of Thrones’ Iain Glen play Rorschach and Dan Dreiberg, respectively, each gamely navigating some pulpy dialogue regarding the murder of OG hero The Comedian.

Hayter was also happy to provide more context in some follow-up tweets. Stevenson, apparently, was stepping in for Daniel Craig, who, per Hayter’s below tweet, “bailed on us at the last minute.” No wonder that dude’s career never went anywhere.

And, though he says Glenn “nailed Dan,” Hayter notes he also had John Cusack in mind for the role. And who did he see stepping into Doctor Manhattan’s tight skivvies? Denzel Washington.

This, of course, begs the question: As superhero movies continue to consume Hollywood, which Marvel character will Washington eventually end up playing?

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