Tag: Animation

Posted on in Television News

Marvel Studios’ Animated Series ‘What If…?’ Adds ‘Lovecraft Country’ Composer Laura Karpman

In a new profile from Variety, it’s been revealed that Lovecraft Country composer Laura Karpman has joined Marvel Studios’ upcoming animation series What If…?, which will be airing exclusively on Disney+.

Westworld and The Batman actor Jeffrey Wright will be voicing the cosmic being known as Uatu The Watcher in the series who will give viewers a glimpse into multiple possibilities that feature variations on the heroes and villains we know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Studios and Disney has already moved forward with a Season 2 order as confirmed by Kevin Feige, both seasons will each consist of 10-episodes.

While air dates seem to be all over the place at the moment, What If…? might not begin airing Season 1 until 2021 and the official Marvel website still points towards a debut in the summer. However, unlike live-action projects the production of animation can be done remotely during the pandemic and could mean they’re further along than expected.

The animated series is part of a large wave of Marvel Studios originals developed for Disney+ which includes WandaVision, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Loki, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and an unannounced Nick Fury series.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Television News

Mature Animated Series ‘The Venture Bros.’ Cancelled By Cartoon Network?

This isn’t exactly official, but someone from The Venture Bros. family has seemingly revealed on Twitter that the brilliant mature animated series may have been cancelled by Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. 

UPDATE: Show creator Jackson Publick has now made the cancellation official after making the following statement on Twitter. The show has now ended after 17 years.

Author Ken Plume quote tweeted a question about shows that were cancelled too soon and he stated “The Venture Bros.”, an official statement about the show ending hasn’t been made by the network at this point. 

When pushed to explain the tweet he responded with “I have no further comment”. 

Ken is the author of Go Team Venture!: The Art & Making of The Venture Bros. and seemingly has a relationship with the show’s creators. While this is only a rumor, Adult Swim hasn’t officially talked about moving forward with a Season 8 and the last episodes aired back in 2018. 

The comedic animated series has had a pretty large cult following after seven seasons that aired between 2004-2018 and is one of the longest-running shows on Adult Swim. I’m a huge fan of the show as it does some amazing parodies of classic Marvel Comics characters putting their own spin on them and other excellent pop culture references.

Venture Bros. has some of the best and elaborate design work of any cartoon series it would be a shame that if ends. I think if Cartoon Network has indeed decided against a Season 8 it might be a good idea for HBO Max to pick it up after the raunchy Harley Quinn series moved to the service from it’s original home at DC Universe. HBO Max taking over some stuff from Adult Swim wouldn’t be hard to imagine as it would build-up their animation portfolio.

The Venture Bros. chronicles the lives and adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their loving but emotionally insecure, unethical, and underachieving super-scientist father Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture; the family’s bodyguard, secret agent Brock Samson, or his temporary replacement, the reformed villain and pederast Sergeant Hatred; and the family’s self-proclaimed archnemesis, The Monarch, a butterfly-themed supervillain. Initially conceived as a satire of boy adventurer and Space Age fiction prevalent in the early 1960s, it is considered to be an action/adventure series with comedy-drama elements.

SOURCE: KEN PLUME 

Posted on in Television News

Netflix Announces ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ CGI Animated Series Titled ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ – Produced By James Wan

Today, it was announced that Netflix will be making a new CGI animated series titled Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles based on Stan Sakai’s beloved Usagi Yojimbo comic book series. The streaming service will be teaming up with Gaumont and James Wan’s Atomic Monster.

The character also famously did crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was part of their toy line.

88 Pictures, who previously did the animation for Trollhunters will be working on the series.

Below is the official press release.

Netflix and Gaumont announce new comedy-action CGI animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles based on the globally successful 35-year-old comic book, Usagi Yojimbo, from award-winning creator Stan Sakai. 

The series takes place in the far future, set in a world that mixes modern high-tech images with classic Japanese references. It follows the teenage Rabbit Samurai Yuichi, descendent of the great warrior Miyamoto Usagi, on his epic quest to become a true samurai. But he isn’t alone! He leads a ragtag team of misfit heroes – including a roguish bounty hunter, a cunning ninja, an acrobatic pickpocket and a faithful pet lizard – as he battles depth-charging moles, metal-tipped winged bats, and monsters from another dimension, all in the pursuit to become the best samurai Usagi! 

The series is produced in partnership with Stan Sakai, the legendary creator, writer and illustrator of the comic-book series who will serve as Executive Producer, along with Gaumont (Executive Producers Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Sidonie Dumas and Christophe Riandee), Dark Horse Entertainment (Executive Producers Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue), and Atomic Monster (Executive Producers James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett). Candie and Doug Langdale (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life, Puss in Boots, Niko and the Sword of Life, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) are attached as executive producers and showrunners. Ben Jones (Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans, Iron Giant) is Supervising Producer while Khang Le (Big Hero 6, Little Big Awesome) will serve as Art Director on the series. 

Mumbai-based 88 Pictures (Trollhunters, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Fast & Furious Spy Racers) has been appointed as the CGI animation studio. 

The acclaimed comic series has received a number of awards over the last three decades, including Parents’ Choice Award, an American Library Association Award, and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award. Usagi Yojimbo has also been named on Empire Magazine’s Top 50 comic-book characters of all time, IGN’s Top 100 comic-book characters of all time and Rolling Stone’s Top 50 non-superhero graphic novels. Sakai is a six-time Eisner Award winner, the recipient of multiple Haxter Awards, and won the Best Cartoonist Harvey Award in 2016.

SOURCE: NETFLIX

Posted on in Television News

Gen-Z Version of ‘Beavis & Butt-Head’ Coming To Comedy Central – Mike Judge Returning To Voice Characters

Today, Comedy Central has announced they’ve made a deal with Mike Judge to bring back MTV’s Beavis & Butt-Head for a new generation, literally. They’re expected to make a re-imagined version that will focus on Generation-Z, rather than Generation-X along with Mike Judge returning to voice the titular characters.

Here is the official press release.

Comedy Central today announced an expansive deal with Emmy® Award-winning Mike Judge to reimagine MTV’s seminal, Gen X-defining “Beavis and Butt-Head,” as well as additional spin-offs and specials.

Launched in 1993, “Beavis and Butt-Head” quickly became a force in pop culture and started a television revolution with its pure, unadulterated, satirical commentary on youth and adolescence. Centered around two teenage couch potatoes, “Beavis” and “Butt-Head,” the unprecedented concept immediately became part of the vernacular in a way no other adult animated series had before. Known for tackling social issues including teen obesity, workers’ rights and media trends, the show connected with an entire generation, laying claim as one of the most innovative series in the modern-day zeitgeist.

In this new iteration, “Beavis” and “Butt-head” are entering a whole new Gen Z world.

Comedy Central has ordered two seasons of the new series with meta-themes relatable to both new and old fans – Gen X parents and their Gen Z kids.

Judge is set to write, produce and provide voice over for both iconic characters.

SOURCE: COMEDY CENTRAL