When it came to taking on the role of Nite Owl in the upcoming “Watchmen” feature film, Patrick Wilson knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

“I did all my homework and became a huge fan of the comic,” recalled Wilson. “My buddy always fills me in on what this means to the comic world. I knew before I even met with [director] Zack [Snyder] that I was walking on hallowed ground.”

That being said, it’s clear that Wilson took the part of the world-weary superhero very seriously — a smart move, considering what could potentially be a star turn for the up-and-coming actor. And when he said he “did his homework,” he meant it, especially in terms of the look of his comic book counterpart — that of a depressed, ex-hero who has since let himself go.

“His physicality I was always completely conscious of,” said Wilson. “The drawing of him looking so sad and very dumpy with slumping shoulders…that’s very informative to me. When the guy takes his shirt off that’s not a fat dude. That’s a big dude who maybe got soft but he’s not just a big tub. It’s funny some people have a different interpretation of that. And I keyed into Alan Moore likening him to a soldier coming back from a war and feeling lost, not knowing his place in society. I was like, that I can dig into.”

So with all of the studying, how did the screentest go?

“I went with Zack and the actor Nicky Katt,” said Wilson. “I got Nicky to come in and read Rorschach. So me and Nick and Zack talked in a room. Zack wanted the studio to trust his judgment so he was like, ‘Let’s make a great audition tape here and I’ll say, see!’ It actually happened pretty easily.”

The “Watchmen” news keeps a’comin’ — are you convinced that Wilson can pull off the role of Nite Owl? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.