Tales of the Black Freighter to Be Shot
February 29, 2008

Hell yeah. Good news to end the week. There was a supplement to the original graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore called "Tales of the Black Freighter". It was kind of extra and deemed unnecessary for the adaptation of the influential book by 300's Zach Snyder but it is apparently being shot anime-style for inclusion on the Watchmen DVD and will feature none other than 300 star Gerard Butler, who confirmed the news to Empire Magazine this week. The story of "Tales of the Black Freighter" details a the mental and physical deterioration of a castaway as he tries to intercept a ghost freighter headed to his hometown. It also has a definite connection to the Watchmen novel, as Empire says, "that deepens the impact of Watchmen's main plot, mirroring the arc of a character we won't reveal."

Gerard Butler spoke to Empire the other day and confirmed that "I’m going to do the voice of the captain. They’re going to do it in the style of a Japanese anime and I’m totally stoked. I actually read the script before reading the comic book and I thought it was awesome. Then I read the comic book and it’s great. The little bits that have been added define it so much more. It’s very dark and there’s just something so descriptive and scary. It’s this descent into madness but explained in such a sane way that you totally feel it yourself. By the end, my heart was pumping!"

Creating an anime special feature based on supplemental material already in existence that was written by the same author as the source material is one of the coolest DVD extras we've ever heard of. Even after all the problems in getting Alan Moore films off the ground, this move kind of gives us hope that this one might work out. For more details on recent Watchmen developments and the horrible history of Alan Moore movies, check out Alan Moore's Celluloid Nightmares.

RECENT HOLLYWOOD NEWS
New Line No More
Justice League
Gotham Knight