Samurai Jack (season 5)

Samurai Jack (season 5)
Starring
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 10[2](32:38)
Release
Original network Adult Swim

The fifth season of Samurai Jack is the upcoming final season for the animated series. It will air on the Toonami programming block on Adult Swim in 2017. The announcement of the season came in December 2015, eleven years since the series was originally concluded on Cartoon Network. Genndy Tartakovsky, the series' creator, returns as executive producer for this season.

Background

Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack originally aired on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2004, comprising four seasons. The series follows a young samurai (voiced by Phil LaMarr) who is cast into the future by the evil shape-shifting demon Aku (Mako Iwamatsu) right as the samurai is about to defeat the demon. He adopts the name Jack and pursues his fight against Aku in the dystopian future ruled by Aku. Jack seeks to find a portal back to his time but is constantly thwarted by the demon's forces. The series was left open-ended since 2004.[3] Tartakovsky previously expressed interest in a film adaptation of the series to provide a genuine conclusion, but the project never materialized.[4]

Development

"Technology is different, we're using computers now,
instead of hamsters like the old days."

Craig Kellman, character designer, Behind the Scenes featurette[1]

Starting in 2014, reruns of Samurai Jack were aired on Toonami, an action-oriented programming block on Adult Swim.[5] The network released a short teaser in December 2015 after it green-lit the return of the series with Genndy Tartakovsky as executive producer and Cartoon Network Studios as the season's production company.[6] Artwork used in the teaser derived from the cover of an issue from IDW Publishing's comic book adaptation of the series.[7] The new season received further mention ahead of the network's 2016 upfront press release.[8]

The fifth season will air in the 2016-2017 television season.[9] Work-in-progress excerpts were shared at the 2016 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.[10]

On October 11, 2016, Chris Reccardi announced on his official Facebook page that the new season would premiere in March 2017.[11] However, there were conflicting reports of that date, as Toonami's showrunner Jason DeMarco has said there was no definite premiere date set.[12] Reccardi later deleted his post.

Cast and characters

Phil LaMarr declined to confirm at AwesomeCon 2016 whether he would return as the voice of the title character, but noted the significance of him not being allowed to confirm or deny his involvement. Later appearances confirmed LaMarr will reprise his role as Jack.[1] Jack is significantly different this season from prior appearances, both in terms of his character design with a shaggy beard and tattered clothes, and in terms of his personality.

Due to the passing of Mako Iwamatsu in 2006, who originally voiced the series' lead villain Aku, Tartakovsky at first considered using a completely different voice for the character. However, considering how Mako's voice was an important element of the character, Tartakovsky stated that he has hired "a guy who does a pretty good imitation; I'll be upfront about it—nobody can replace Mako."[1]

Tartakovsky, at a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2016, affirmed that the Scotsman will return to the series.[2]

Story

The new season will have more mature elements and form a cohesive story. The story picks up fifty years[2](6:05) after the end of the original series and follows Jack on a journey that will conclude the story of the series.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Adult Swim (July 1, 2016), Samurai Jack: Season 5 Behind the Scenes, YouTube, retrieved July 16, 2016
  2. 1 2 3 4 Samurai Jack Panel SDCC 2016, Adult Swim, August 6, 2016
  3. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (2 December 2015). "Genndy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack to Return in 2016". Nerdist. Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (3 December 2015). "Acclaimed Cartoon Samurai Jack to Return with New TV Series". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Rife, Katie (2 December 2015). "Samurai Jack to Return Next Year on Adult Swim". The A. V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Petski, Denise (2 December 2015). "Samurai Jack Heading Back to Adult Swim in 2016". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Dietsch, T. J. (3 December 2015). "Samurai Jack Is Coming Back". Geek. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (13 May 2016). "Adult Swim Slates Multi-Platform Programming". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Chavez, Danette (12 May 2016). "Adult Swim Plots Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special, Return of Samurai Jack". The A. V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Amidi, Amid (10 March 2016). "Annecy Announces Zombillenium and Samurai Jack Previews, plus John Kricfalusi Masterclass". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Chris Reccardi – Facebook (October 11, 2016)
  12. ↑ Jason DeMarco – Twitter (October 12, 2016)
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