Piece by piece, we’re gradually beginning to form a clear picture of Toonami’s new Samurai Jack series, thanks in large part to the string of behind-the-scenes videos coming out of Adult Swim.
That latest of which features a discussion with Genndy Tartakovsky – series creator, director and really the brains behind the iconic, visually astute series – along with the show’s principal writing team. Embedded below, Samurai Jack‘s key contributors touch base on the timeline, and why they consider the imminent revival to be darker in tone to what has come before.
First up, scribe Darrick Bachman warned fans that they’re about to see a whole new side of the nimble Jack, replete with beard and world-weary attitude.
“I think we’re going to see [Jack] in a new light because we’e going to see him from a different standpoint,” writer said. “In the original series he was very heroic person on a very rigid quest. Now we pick up with him an it’s many years after the fact and he’s a little bit lost. So it’s a story of redemption and him trying to find who he is again.”
There’s also the small matter of appealing to longtime fans of Samurai Jack – perhaps those who spent their formative years cheering on the katana-wielding badass – all the while attracting newcomers to the action. For Bachman, that meant pushing the envelope for new and exciting storylines.
…People watch [Samurai Jack] with their kids. You know, through the generations. I didn’t want to go full on heads getting chopped off and blood spurting everywhere, but at the same time I also wanted it to be newer and exciting and take advantage of some of those things.”
Toonami’s Samurai Jack revival was first announced late last year and is, at the time of writing, on course to premiere later in 2016 via Adult Swim.