Within the massive scope of the “Watchmen” universe is a story-within-a-story, called “Tales of the Black Freighter.” Though it adds a complex layer to the main story, it’s not crucial to it, at least not when you’re looking strictly at the plot. Still, it’s a fascinating story and an amazing piece of fiction, so it’s only appropriate that when adapting Watchmen, Zack Snyder and the producers felt it necessary to bring this part of the story to life in some manner too.

Which brings us to Tales of the Black Freighter, an animated companion to the feature film which will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 24, 2009. The animation looks pretty good, and it features the voice talent of Gerard Butler. Check out the trailer for it above, or head on over to MTV to catch it in HD.

One thing that does have me worried is the PG tag at the end of this. PG? Really? I didn’t see anything that seemed off in the trailer, but the original tale was quite graphic. I’m hoping they didn’t tone it down or anything. What say you guys?

Tags: Gerard Butler, Tales of the Black Freighter, Watchmen, Zack Snyder