Welcome Home, Jackie Earle Haley.

I missed the big "Watchmen" panel summer before last at Comic-Con in San Diego. It was going to be wall-to-wall crowded - in the biggest venue at the convention center - and it was up against a Joss Whedon panel, which I can't ever miss. I ended up not going, but a buddy of mine there got out of it, called my cell, and told me about the casting news - this was either the official announcement of them or close to it, because no one had heard anything at this point.

He didn't have much to tell, as clearly, they weren't grabbing any big names for the film. Billy Crudup I knew (from my obsession with the film "Almost Famous") and found myself really interested in how he'd handle Dr. Manhattan.

But the big news that floored me was the casting of Rorschach. If you read Watchmen, the graphic novel, then you know that this casting is pivotal to the whole thing. Watchmen nerds have, for a couple decades, debated over who should play that role. And when my friend told me who'd they'd gotten, that rare word came to mind when it comes to Hollywood casting - "perfect".

If you're part of my generation, you remember Jackie Earle Haley. But not by name. You'd know him immediately when someone mentioned who he played in the original "Bad News Bears" or "Breaking Away". Both were career-making films for him. Unfortunately, Hollywood had had a different career in mind for him - based on "Bears", it was supposed to be as a teen idol, something his bad boy, motorcycle-riding character was fast turning him into. Unfortunately, puberty changed that. The Next Big Thing he was supposed to be turned into a short, skinny young man with a serious acne problem. The roles became fewer - so much so that, like most of us, you probably never saw him again after "Breaking Away" (unless you caught the "Breaking Away" TV series on ABC, which was cancelled after six episodes, where he reprised his memorable role as "Moocher", and was the only one of the four male leads who jumped from the film to the show). Hollywood didn't want him anymore - a story as old as Hollywood itself. His acting days appeared to be over.

And then came a call from Sean Penn - in the 21st century. Sean was the lead in the upcoming "All the King's Men", and when discussions came around about who should play the part of the character Sugar Boy, Sean immediately wanted Jackie Earle Haley. Jackie had been out of Hollywood for years. He was finally tracked down - on his honeymoon, no less - and was told there was interest in him for a film. A film with notable small actors in it - you know, like Sean...and Anthony Hopkins...and Kate Winslet...and Jude Law...and James Gandolfini. He sent them his audition tape, landed the role, and suddenly, Jackie was an actor again.

Right after, there was a role available in the film "Little Children". Director Todd Field got an audition tape of Jackie's, and was blown away. When he asked Kate Winslet about working with him, she couldn't stop raving, and insisted that, if he was auditioned, that she be allowed to fly in and do the reading with him. He got the audition, and Kate did it with him as promised. And at the end of that audition, Todd Field turned to Jackie and asked "Do you want the part?". Jackie did, and in 2007 was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor oscar for it.

And now, Jackie's back again, in his first ever big-budget Hollywood blockbuster - stealing the show and delighting fans with his dead-on adaption of Rorschach in a film that purists have been waiting for for almost twenty years - almost a long as Jackie's been waiting to get his career back. And just like with "Watchmen", I feel that the wait has been worth every minute.

Welcome back, Jackie. We missed you. Here's to making up for lost time.