With anime continuing to grow in popularity, more and more big names are flocking to the genre. Just earlier this week, TOHO Animation debuted Kaiju No. 8, which features an ending song by the American rock band OneRepublic. And now, another big name has entered the arena: Donald Glover.
It was revealed this week that Donald Glover is developing his own anime with the help from comedian Zack Fox. Glover dropped the news of his latest project while appearing on the GILGA Radio Show. While his appearance was largely focused on his musical career and his final album as Childish Gambino, it was when Glover was asked about his future that he confirmed he is working on the anime.
Other than it being an anime, not much is known about the project. But we can assume, based on the backgrounds of both Glover and Fox that it will feature some witty humor in it. Both Glover and Fox have wide-ranging backgrounds in comedy, from standup to television and movies.
At age 23, Glover was hired by Tina Fey to write for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. he also portrayed college student Troy Barnes in the NBC sitcom Community. But these days, he's probably best known for starring in the award-winning FX series Atlanta, which he created and occasionally directed. He also appeared in several movies including Spider-Man: Homecoming and, most notably, Solo: A Star Wars Story in which he played a young Lando Calrissian. He also voiced adult Simba in 2019's The Lion King movie.
Zack Fox doesn't have quite as much on his resume, but he's a well-rounded entertainer with experience in stand-up comedy, rapping, writing, and acting.
Even without knowing anything about the anime, it's hard not to imagine studios and streaming services flocking to the project given the involvement of Glover. An actor, comedian, singer, rapper, writer, director, and producer, there's not much — if anything — that Glover can't do. Might as well add anime to his already impressive resume.
Glover isn't the only Hollywood star who has turned to anime. Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther) teamed up with Rooster Teeth a few years ago to create Gen:Lock. The sci-fi anime starred Jordan as a Vanguard pilot who, after losing much of his body in the war, is recruited into the gen:LOCK program and becomes the first successful Holon pilot.
Gen: Lock earned generally positive reception upon release, and currently has two seasons under its belt. But with the rate of Rooster Teeth up in the air, we're not sure what the future holds for the anime.