According to longtime media executive Fred Seibert, former head of Hanna-Barbera and current head of Frederator films, Genndy Tartakovsky’s popular animated show, Samurai Jack, is headed to the big screen with J.J. Abrams as a co-producer. The film, which is budgeted at $20 million, will combine traditional 2D animation with stereoscopic 3D. It is being produced by Fredarator Films and Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot Productions.
For those that don’t recall the show, Samurai Jack was a four-time Emmy award winning animated series that ran on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2004. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, who was also the genius behind Dexter’s Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars, Samurai Jack revolved around, well…a samurai named Jack. Jack was a noble warrior who is cast into the future by the evil Aku, “the shape-shifting Master of Darkness.” Each episode involved Jack’s attempts to return to the past to defeat Aku once and for all.
If that plot summary sounded lame to you, then I’m afraid we can’t be friends. Just kidding… sort of. Like Batman: The Animated Series before it, I believe Samurai Jack elevated animated action to another level. Spanning dozens of genres, from Spaghetti Western to Kung-Fu to cyberpunk, Samurai Jack was truly more than just a cartoon. Not only was the art superb, but the pacing and the plotting were downright cinematic. Sometimes, there would be whole episodes where Jack spoke fewer than five words and you’d be totally captivated. And, isn’t that the goal of every animator? To tell a story completely visually?
Every time you sat down to watch Samurai Jack, you were treated to a level of sophistication that was truly unexpected, which is why the show still holds such a loyal following. Since I count myself among Jack‘s fans, I for one am very excited to see Samurai Jack hit the big screen. The fact that J.J. Abrams is on board (Seibert says Abrams is a “huge Jack fan”) basically cinches it for me, since everything Abrams touches seems to turn to gold. Just for fun, check out the classic title sequence from Samurai Jack below.
What do you think? Would you go to the theater to see Samurai Jack: The Movie?
Source: Frederator Films Blog via FilmJunk
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gah, why couldn’t Abrams have picked up Cowboy Bebop instead?
Cowboy Bebop already has a movie. A damned good one.
Loved the show, so many tie-ins, can’t wait to see the movie…maybe it will give me the proper ending I always wanted
I really hope it doesen’t give us the ending. The entire Samurai Jack universe revolves around the quest. To see the quest concluded would leave me statisfied, but it would take the glory away from the episodes. Samurai Jack fails time after time, but never gives up.
I think we’ve all waited long enough for an ending, There better be a g****** ending.
When does this come out?
When does this come out?
I love this series i would like to know if there is an estimated time when the film will come up
Hellz yea a samurai Jack movie it’s goin 2 b fat sh**t
YESS!!!! I’m so happy! However, I’m wondering when it’ll be released.
Umm.. Joe Simmons this is going to be animated, I’m going to see it in theaters as soon as it comes out, though O_O
After watching Sucker Punch, I thought Zack Snyder would do a good job directing Samurai Jack, but that’s okay – I’m just happy that a Samurai Jack movie DID get announced! Looking forward to it!
It just won’t be the same without Mako.
Although, they could use his speaking parts from the series.
When will the Samurai Jack movie be out and will it be animated?
from imdb 2014 is about the time the movie comes out..witch is a Long Long
ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!
This can be really awesome, but it’s going to be really frustrating if they end the movie with a cliffhanger or open ending to potentially have a sequel. Hopefully this will be the final chapter (I think most of us would sacrifice new Jack for seeing Aku beaten for real), but I have a sneaking suspicion that with J.J. Abrams on board we will only have more mysteries and no closure. Am I really going to have to wear those stupid glasses just to see Aku flutter off again at the end? Let’s see him at least get sent to another dimension or something.
Please Keep Abrams away from this movie
Why let JJ near it, why not the original team??
Oh gosh, please not JJ Abrams. He’s ruined enough already. ie. Transformers and Star Trek.
if you dont like star trek (2009) then you really dont have good taste or you slept through it. it was very well done
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_11/
very high ratings on rotten tomatoes.
shutter to think what you do think is good.
when i imdb him he isnt listed as done any work on any past transformers movies
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0009190/
JJ Abrams. master of the gaudy amateurish sshhaakkyy ccaammeerraa and LENS FLARE!!!!
I took some classes in filmatography and my professor admonished me when i had lens flare and shaky camera work
Please make a samurai jack movie and why not every body loves that cartoon
Please make a samurai jack movie and why not every body loves this cartoon