Check out the first trailer for upcoming R-rated Watchmen animated movies

Warner Bros. Entertainment has dropped the first teaser trailer for the upcoming two-part, R-rated animated Watchmen movie, which I must admit, I had entirely forgotten about.

The project was first announced in 2017, but we haven’t heard much since. The trailer was screened for audiences at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, where it was confirmed that the CG-animated movie would be released in two parts. Chapter I will be released later this summer (with Blu-ray.com giving an August 13th release) with Chapter II coming in 2025.

The acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons examines “the lives of the eponymous superhero team as they seem to decay alongside the ever-darkening America around them. Rorschach, Nite Owl, the Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias reunite to investigate who’s behind a teammate’s murder, but find that the truth may be even more grim than the world they seek to protect.”

The cell-shaded CG animation in the Watchmen trailer certainly pays homage to Gibbons’ original artwork. The project is expected to be a faithful adaptation of the comic, but it’s not the first time Watchmen has been brought to life.

The story, which was considered notoriously tricky to adapt, made the leap to live-action with Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie after decades of failed attempts. Snyder also released a director’s cut of the movie with roughly 24 minutes of additional footage, as well as an animated adaptation of the Tales of the Black Freighter comic within the story featuring Gerard Butler. The last release was an “Ultimate Cut” edition incorporating Tales of the Black Freighter throughout the live-action movie.

Damon Lindelof developed a Watchmen TV series for HBO, which served as a sequel to the comic book, picking up 34 years later. Despite a great deal of uncertainty from fans leading up to its release, the series was actually highly regarded, receiving widespread acclaim.

What do you think of this trailer for the animated Watchmen movies?