SDCC 08 LIVE coverage of the ‘Afro Samurai’ panel

Article originally published 07/24/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Afro Samurai is returning in a big way. The animated series, which debuted last year on the Spike network and features Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the title character, will be back in early 2009. Plus, fans will be able to put on the Afro themselves as there is also a video game in the works (for PS3 and XBox 360). We are in room 6B now awaiting all the news surrounding Afro’s return to the the world.

In attendance is creator Takashi Okazaki, Samuel L. Jackson… The RZA arrived late after being stuck in traffic.

“When this project came along, it was the perfect marriage of everything I like. Swords, blood, sex and rock & roll.”

- Samuel L. Jackson

There will be a feature-length film called Afro Samurai: Resurrection. The film will be shown exclusively on Spike TV in January ‘09. This will feature the resurrection of Afro’s father (in skeletal form) who raises an undead army to fight Afro. Lucy Liu will play the voice of the villain, who is also has a history from Afro’s past. Jackson also confirmed that the character of Ninja Ninja will return in the film. A trailer for Resurrection was shown and it proves to be filled with just as much gore, action and drama as the first series.Not to mention, this time Afro sports a beard!

We also learned that there will be an upcoming Afro Samurai manga, which has already been completed by Takashi Okazaki. The manga will took three years to complete and will span 300 pages. The first volume will be out in September 2008 and the second will be available early 2009.

Takashi Okazaki made the comment that he came up with the concept of Afro Samurai after doodling on Kleenex boxes. The RZA explained that he had always been a big fan of Ninja Scroll and first heard of Afro Samurai when he saw a toy of the character. He was was offered the project and told that it would be within the same vein of Ninja Scroll. At that point, he jumped at the chance to be involved. The RZA will also have a cameo in the upcoming film.

The upcoming Afro Samurai video game (Namco Bandai) will feature the same story from the original series. A trailer was shown and the game is as beautiful as it is bloody. It will feature voice acting from Samuel L. Jackson (Afro Samurai, Ninja Ninja) and Ron Pearlman (Justice). The game will be released early next year in conjunction with Afro Samurai: Resurrection.

“I see you came dressed as your favorite character… guy who dies like a motherf***er.”
- Ninja Ninja from the upcoming Afro Samurai game

During the Q&A portion of the panel, Takashi Okazaki revealed that he has a 1000-2000 year timeline for the character of Afro Samurai and what has been revealed so far is only a small segment.

If you are eager for your first look at Afro Samurai: Resurrection, you can visit the official website and catch the Comic Con exclusive premiere trailer, courtesy of Funimation!