Granted, Zack Snyder is a tad biased about the upcoming movie adaption of Watchmen.

But the film's director certainly has us excited about seeing the graphic novel on the big screen.

"The movie's incredibly self-aware, you can probably tell – but on the other hand, we take it completely seriously," Snyder told IGN. "These are their stories. She needs to get from here to there. They need to beat those guys up. But that's not to say that we don't go what does it mean, what does that mean?"

Jeffrey Dean Morgan stars in Watchmen as The Comedian.

Snyder then contrasted his approach to those of other recent comic book blockbuster that attempt to be irreverent and self-aware - but also give in to the formulas of the genre.

"I also think that… Watchmen has balls in the sense that [in comparison], Iron Man and Fantastic Four, though they are in their own way self aware, they drink their own Kool-Aid, and the movie is a movie. It still has a beginning, middle and an end, and makes you care about this guy or that guy. Watchmen is like this nonlinear, all-over-the-place on the edge of being an art movie.

Reporters were treated to a half hour of Watchmen footage yesterday, during a screening at Warner studios in West Hollywood.

According to Sci Fi Wire, director Zack Snyder said the movie will have a running time of two hours and 43 minutes.

The three main clips shows were:

• An attack on Edward Blake, aka The Comedian (pictured, Jeffrey Dean Morgan), followed by the title sequence that sets up the Watchmen universe.
• The transformation of physicist Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup) into the superhuman Dr. Manhattan.
• The assault by Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) and Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) on Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley).

At one point, talk turned to a rumored Watchmen sequel, to which Snyer replied:

"I don't know, I have to be honest. That would be interesting but, there can't be a sequel. There can't be a prequel. Not with me involved, anyway. I have no idea if they could find someone to do it, but it wouldn't be me. That's crazy talk."

Due to a pending lawsuit, it's not guaranteed that Watchmen is even coming out this March. No matter.

Let's discuss a sequel!

Patrick Wilson, who plays Nite Owl in the big screen adaptation, spoke to MTV about a follow-up to the superhero epic.

Wilson revealed that there was a sequel clause in his contract, but that neither he, nor director Zack Snyder, have any idea how it could work.

"It's been talked about" the actor said. "Financially, they like to do that. But all of us, Zack included, go 'How on earth could you do a sequel or a prequel?'"

Wilson did say he'd certainly consider a second Watchmen.

"Certainly, artistically, I can't fathom how it would happen. But hey, if Alan Moore writes it, I'd love to read it."

While we wish we could simply post more photos and get people more excited for the Watchmen movie, we first need to make sure it will open as scheduled in March.

As previously reported, there's a lawsuit between Fox and Warner Bros. over the rights to the comic-book adaptation; fortunately, it took a big step toward resolution this week when the federal judge presiding over the dispute set a January 6 trial date for the case.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess told both studios to build a factual record and start expedited discovery and depositions immediately. We'll keep you updated about the status of Watchmen as this case moves along.

No, we have't heard of SET, either.

It's a Brazilian magazine whose September 2008 issues features a variety of covers, all of which showcase a different Watchmen character.

This is a testament to the far-reaching appeal of the Zack Snyder-directed graphic novel adaptation, which stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Carla Gugino.

Here's a look at three of the covers:

As fans of Watchmen pray the movie is actually released in March - a lawsuit is brewing between Fox and Warner Bros. - at least one director has already seen the comic book adaption.

And he loves it.

Kevin Smith - who was invited to see the film at Zach Snyder’s invitation shortly after Comic-Con last month - has posted a rave review for it on his MySpace account. The writer/director, who's next film is Zack and Miri Make a Porno, wrote:

I saw Watchmen. It’s f---ing astounding. The Non-Disclosure Agreement I signed prevents me from saying much, but I can spout the following with complete joygasmic enthusiasm: Snyder and Co. have pulled it off.

Remember that feeling of watching Sin City on the big screen and being blown away by what a faithful translation of the source material it was, in terms of both content and visuals? Triple that, and you’ll come close to watching Watchmen.

The wildly-anticipated big screen adaptation of Watchmen may never make it into theaters. The obstacle? A lawsuit brought against Warner Bros. by 20th Century Fox.

A judge has refused Warners' motion to dismiss Fox's lawsuit, which was filed in February. The latter studio claims it owns the rights to the 1986-87 comic book series, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

Will movie fans have a chance to enjoy the Watchmen cast in action?

Watchmen is considered to be the most celebrated graphic novel of all time. But Variety reports it's a possibility that movie goers may never experience it.

After all, if Fox wins, it could be awarded part of the profits from the film. However, the publication reports that Fox doesn't want the money; it prefers to keep the big-budget film from being released at all.

Warner Bros. has provided Watchmen fans with four more photos from the Zack Snyder-directed movie. These first appeared in Empire magazine.

Opening March 6, the graphic novel adaptation stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen McHattie and Matt Frewer.

Patrick Wilson stars as Nite Owl.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is The Comedian.

Nite Owl flirts with Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman).

Jackie Earle Haley portrays Rorschach.

How many comic book movies are bold enough to show a rape scene?

None, so far. But that will change when Watchment comes out in the spring of 2009. The film will keep a violent scene of sexual assault from the comic intact, co-star Carla Gugino - who played Sally Jupiter in the film - told MTV News.

“It was really brutal. It was brutal to shoot,” Gugino said of the scene, in which The Comedian (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) attacks an young Sally, who only manages to avoid getting raped by the timely intervention of fellow mask Hooded Justice.

Sally Jupiter is confroned by The Comedian in Watchmen.

“That was one of the things [director] Zack [Snyder] said to me from the start: ‘I really want this to be incredibly brutal. It’s not a turn-on kind of story. It’s bad," Gugina said. "It’s important that we did that. I think hopefully it will be really powerful.”

As Watchmen prides itself on, this is certainly another example of it being anything but an ordinary comic book movie.

Who watches the Watchmen?

That tagline for the highly-anticipated movie should get answered when it comes out on March 6, 2009.

In the meantime, take a look at a slew of new Watchmen promotional posters, each featuring a different characters beloved by fans of the comic book series...