Long ago, a brave samurai warrior was thrown through a portal into a future controlled by the evil that is Aku. The warrior wandered the strange post-apocalyptic landscape on a mission to restore hope and get back to his own time, where he might stop Aku’s reign of terror before it starts. That is the journey of Samurai Jack. The show ended in 2004 after four seasons and 52 episodes, but the fanatical love for it and the character hasn’t dimmed at all since. In fact, as we reported last year, creator Genndy Tartakovsky is going to be bringing the series back for new adventures sometime this year. We haven’t seen much, save a new teaser, but Tartakovsky has just shared some exciting new art at the Annecy Festival D’Animation in France, as reported by ComicBook.com.
Samurai Jack : 10 épisodes pensés comme un film de 5h. Plus noir. Plus adulte. Ca clôturera l'histoire. pic.twitter.com/lrULXeBWOM
— Alexandre Loos (@AlexLoos) June 15, 2016
If the image of Jack looks much harder-edged and angrier than we’ve seen him before, that’s not a mistake. Reports from the panel explain that the new series will take place another 50 years in the future (WHOA!) and explore what has happened to Jack in the intervening five decades of living under Aku’s rule. It’ll be a darker story than anything the show tackled previously—no doubt due to it being on Adult Swim rather than on Cartoon Network proper—but there will still be some of the trademark humor that made the original so endearing.
Tartakovsky also hinted that the show could be on the way “in the near future,” and that the 10 episodes to come would be paced much more like a five-hour movie rather than individual, self-contained stories (as were the original episodes). Not only that, but Adult Swim has updated its website with a new, awesome image of Aku and a short video showcasing storyboards narrated by Tartakovsky himself.
We’re very, very excited about this new series, and will tell you more news about the show as it develops. Share your thoughts about angry, ’round-70-year-old Jack in the comments below!
Images: Genndy Tartakovsky/Adult Swim
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s an animation fanatic of the highest order, and reviewed many shows including Samurai Jack. Follow him on Twitter!
