Watchmen takes place in 1985, in an alternate history United States the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (the Doomsday Clock is permanently set at five minutes to midnight). It is the story of a group of past and present superheroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Directed by Zach Snyder of Dawn of the Dead and 300 fame, the film opens March 6, 2009.