Tom Stoppard + Pink Floyd + Aardman = Great, Surreal Sci-Fi (Video)

For some, the idea of a radio play based on a concept album from the 1970s might sound like the most archaic, unnecessary idea in the history of ideas. Despite that, the animated trailer for Darkside, Tom Stoppard's play inspired by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon still seems like science fiction that's years ahead of its time.

Talking to the BBC about the play -- which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom on August 26 -- Stoppard said that Darkside isn't "the story of the album" but something that takes the classic album as a starting point and goes forward from there. "I invented a little story in the spirit of the album, taking a cue as to what level of reality this story might be on," he explained, adding that he "was picking up emotional cues from the music" during the writing process.

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The play, he said, is a "philosophical comedy" with Bill Nighy in the lead role, alongside Rufus Sewell, who plays a superhero with the wonderfully on-the-nose name of Ethics Man. Wondering just what to expect from Darkside? Take a look at the trailer, animated by Aardman Animations. It won't necessarily give you any further information, but it'll definitely leave you wanting more.