Adult Swim has given the green light and began production on Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe's newest series, Lazarus. It will be a new Toonami original anime series and will mark Watanabe's return to the sci-fi action genre.
There are a lot of great people and studios working on the series. The series will be produced and animated by the famous anime studio MAPPA.
It will also feature high-octane action with sequences meticulously designed by Chad Stahelski, renowned stuntman and director of the John Wick film franchise, and brought to the screen by Watanabe.
The music score for the series will feature a mixture of jazz and electronic artists including jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington (West Coast Get Down); producer, DJ, and musician Floating Points (Floating Points Ensemble); and producer, DJ, and musician Bonobo.
When interviewed about the series, Watanabe stated how he was hopeful about the series and that it meant a lot to him.
“As I embark on this creative journey, I can't help but feel that this project will serve as a culmination of my career so far,"
Fans will get their chance at the Adult Swim Festival in San Diego this weekend. Watanabe himself will be at the “Toonami on the Green” event on Saturday, July 22nd at 5:15 pm. The admission price for the event is free, with an age requirement of 18+ to attend. Reservations are currently sold out, but fans are encouraged to join the standby line for the chance to get a first look at Lazarus alongside other forthcoming Toonami original series to be announced.
For more information, visit AdultSwimFestival.com.
We were given a brief synopsis of the story for the series Lazarus:
The year is 2052 - an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity prevails across the globe. The reason for this: mankind has been freed from sickness and pain. Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Dr. Skinner has developed a miracle cure-all drug with no apparent drawbacks called Hapuna. Hapuna soon becomes ubiquitous… and essential. However, soon after Hapuna is officially introduced, Dr. Skinner vanishes.
Three years later, the world has moved on. But Dr. Skinner has returned - this time, as a harbinger of doom. Skinner announces that Hapuna has a short half-life. Everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. Death is coming for this sinful world - and coming soon.
As a response to this threat, a special task force of 5 agents is gathered from across the world to save humanity from Skinner’s plan. This group is called “Lazarus.” Can they find Skinner and develop a vaccine before time runs out?
What are your thoughts on the greenlight announcement? Are you going to be adding this show to your list to watch? What other shows are you excited for? Let us know in the comments below! As always, stay tuned to Animemojo.com for more anime related news!