I know some people were disappointed by director Zach Snyder’s decision to go lower profile with the casting for his upcoming Watchmen, particularly because of the absence of his former 300 leading man Gerard Butler. 300 really broke both Snyder and Butler into that next tier of recognition in Hollywood, and you’d think the two would leap that the chance to work together again. It was no surprise to see Butler’s name on just about every rumor list that came out for Watchmen, but when the cast was revealed officially, Butler was nowhere to be seen.

It turns out, Butler will be involved with Watchmen, although he still won’t be seen, or involved with the theatrical production at all. Instead Butler has been tapped to provide the voice for the captain in the comic-within-a-comic, Tales of the Black Freighter, which will be cut from the theatrical release of Watchmen, but is being put together in an animated form for the DVD release.

Fans of the original graphic novel have been excited about the Black Freighter news since it was first reported. The story told within a comic book in the world of Watchmen isn’t crucial to the story, but it provides a parallel story frame for the events going on in the main story.

The news of Butler’s involvement has been rumored for a while, but Empire managed to get confirmation straight from the actor, who also shared that the animated Black Freighter would be produced in an anime style.