Jackson set to produce Afro Samurai

Jackson set to produce Afro Samurai
Posted May 16, 2005, 12:35 PM ET by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Animation, Cable

Big news on the anime front: Spike TV sent out a press release
recently that Samuel L. Jackson will produce and voice the hotly
anticipated five episode anime series Afro Samurai with Japanese
anime studio Gonzo and Fuji Television.

The tale spins around a black samurai, Afro, to be voiced by
Jackson, who is on a quest to avenge his father's death,
meeting "enemies, friends and challenges along the way". Hopefully
the series will be more original than the storyline of "antisocial
warrior avenging the wrongful death of his (insert relative of your
choice here)". Jackson overflows with talent on the big screen, but
Afro Samurai will need to pack a lot more punch than its initial
press release to stand out in the anime crowd, even with his gravely
voice bringing life to the lead role.

The series blends samurai style with hip-hop, something the Spike TV
folks claim in their press release "American audiences have never
seen before". Guess the Spike TV guys haven't been keeping up with
Shinichiro Watanabe's latest effort, Samurai Champloo.