Lazarus: Cowboy Bebop Creator Teams Up With John Wick Director for New Anime

Forum 9 months ago

Lazarus: Cowboy Bebop Creator Teams Up With John Wick Director for New Anime

Adult Swim has greenlit the newest anime series from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe, titled Lazarus.

Lazarus will be produced by MAPPA and feature “high-octane action sequences” designed by John Wick movie series director Chad Stahelski. Its soundtrack will be made by various jazz and electronic musicians, including jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, producer, DJ, and musician Floating Points. and producer, DJ, and musician Bonobo.

“As I embark on this creative journey, I can’t help but feel that this project will serve as a culmination of my career so far,” Watanabe said. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Shinichirō Watanabe is simply one of the greatest living artists, and it’s a dream come true to be able to collaborate with him on a new original series,” stated Jason DeMarco, SVP, Head of Anime and Action Series at Adult Swim. “Like all of his work, ‘Lazarus’ is packed with big ideas, incredible characters and a ton of heart. We can’t wait for anime fans to see this world.”

What is Lazarus about?

The official Lazarus synopsis reads:

“The year is 2052 — an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity prevails across the globe. The reason for this: mankind has been freed from sickness and pain. Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist Dr. Skinner has developed a miracle cure-all drug with no apparent drawbacks called Hapuna. Hapuna soon becomes ubiquitous … and essential. However, soon after Hapuna is officially introduced, Dr. Skinner vanishes.

“Three years later, the world has moved on. But Dr. Skinner has returned — this time, as a harbinger of doom. Skinner announces that Hapuna has a short half-life. Everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. Death is coming for this sinful world – and coming soon. As a response to this threat, a special task force of 5 agents is gathered from across the world to save humanity from Skinner’s plan. This group is called ‘Lazarus.’ Can they find Skinner and develop a vaccine before time runs out?”