Writer and producer Damon Lindelof has hit a critical home run with his first season of Watchmen on HBO, and has now been discussing what other comic book properties he would like to adapt for either the big or small screen. One of those properties he's mulling over is Frank Miller's much-loved Batman story, The Dark Knight Returns, a story which Lindelof says would be a much more straight-forward adaptation when compared to his take on Alan Moore's superhero dystopia, Watchmen. And he seems very apprehensive about attempting to pull it off for various reseasons. Though he knows how it should be done.

"The reason that I don't have any interest in it is because that would be a straight-up adaptation. Where you're taking something Frank Miller already wrote and illustrated and is perfect. Basically, you're bringing it to life. Obviously, Superman is going to be in it if you're doing Dark Knight straight up. All you're basically doing is adapting something."

We have had an animated take on the seminal Batman graphic novel, one which stuck pretty darn close to the source material, as well as Zack Snyder's critically bashed Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice which took a lot of elements from Miller's future version of Batman to craft Ben Affleck's take on the character.

Damon Lindelof continues, but seems to suggest that he may in fact not be the man to bring a strict adaptation to the screen, stating that he would prefer to freestyle no doubt in much the same way he has done so with the Watchmen television series.

"What made Dark Knight so amazing and revolutionary was that it was so original and groundbreaking. So, it's like taking the dance instructions where the painted feet are there on the ground. You just have to hit the right steps. I would just be terrified of messing it up. More importantly, I want to freestyle. I'm not the guy for that."

Clearly the writer has a lot of love for The Dark Knight Returns and what it meant, and still means, for comic books and superheroes, which achieved it the iconic status it still holds. Lindelof then went on to discuss who he thought would be best to step into the aged shoes of an old Bruce Wayne, with his thinking aligning closely with fans.

"I think it would be really interesting to wait for somebody like, you know, Michael Keaton, who has already done Batman, or a Christian Bale 25 years from now and then do Dark Knight with them. So, it's someone who we actually saw play a younger version of Batman. That would be rad."

The idea of someone who has played The Dark Knight before appearing once again to play the aged version is a great idea that many would love to see come to fruition, and with Lindelof's Watchmen series being hailed by critics, as well as his evident passion for The Dark Knight Returns, perhaps one day he could be persuaded to put his pen to the accurate adaptation he wants to see so badly.

Watchmen has just finished its first series, with a second series already being discussed. This comes from Collider.