March 29, 2005 - Comics2Film points out a pair of recent articles on director Paul Greengrass' Watchmen movie. First, The Los Angeles Times reports that Paramount's top creative executive Donald DeLine's "possible departure could endanger some high-profile projects at Paramount. Last week, he was in London to urge the director and producers of the studio's superhero action thriller The Watchmen to cut back the film's $100-million-plus budget so it could get the greenlight for production, sources said. As those negotiations continue, it is unclear now which Paramount executive will be doing the talking."

Although the Watchmen still hasn't been officially greenlit, that hasn't stopped pre-production from proceeding at Britain's Pinewood Studios. After shares in Pinewood Shepperton dropped over a tax break brouhaha, The Times claims Pinewood is "expected a return to growth in the second half, aided by a sequel to Basic Instinct, starring Sharon Stone, and Alan Moore's The Watchmen."

In related news, IGN FilmForce has learned that Simon Crane will be the Second Unit Director on Watchmen. Crane has served as the stunt coordinator on The World Is Not Enough, The Mummy, Terminator 3, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Crane was the second unit director on Troy and another Brad Pitt vehicle, the forthcoming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He is attached to make his feature film directing debut on the thriller Adrenaline.