Twelve years ago, Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack ended its four season run without a definitive conclusion to the series. But that’s going to change later this year, when Adult Swim debuts a new 10-episode fifth season of Samurai Jack, with series creator Genndy Tartakovsky at the helm and Phil LaMarr reprising his role as the title character. And unlike another recent revival, this one is going to give fans some much needed closure.

“For the last ten years, we’ve been trying to develop a [Samurai Jack] movie,” said Tartakovsky in a newly released video from Adult Swim (via Cartoon Brew). “The movie never gets going, for whatever reason. And I was thinking, ‘You know what? I have a little bit of free time before the next project grabs me, and maybe I should just finish it the way it really should be done, in a miniseries for television. So I just wrote an e-mail and [Mike] Lazzo called me the next day. Within two weeks, the deal was done and we’re off!”

Clearly, bringing Samurai Jack back was a no-brainer. However, Tartakovsky was quick to say that he won’t be taking the violence of the series too far beyond the previously established parameters now that it’s on Adult Swim instead of the younger skewing Cartoon Network. “Because people watch it with their kids through the generations…I didn’t want to go full-on heads getting chopped off, blood spurting everywhere,” noted Tartakovsky. “But at the same time, I also wanted it to be kind of newer and exciting…and take advantage of some of those things.”

The video teases the new status quo for Jack in the decade since his last appearance in the series, while also addressing how Tartakovsky dealt with the death of Mako, who provided the voice of Jack’s nemesis, Aku. Adult Swim hasn’t set a date for the new episodes yet, but they will premiere later this year.

Are you excited about the new season of Samurai Jack? Slice through a robot or two, and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Adult Swim