'Lazarus' Brings Life To Toonami This April
More drug stories are coming to Adult Swim, but this one is on a killer timer
It’s a weird time for Toonami. They absorbed Rewind refugees Naruto and Sailor Moon after the Friday afternoon block ended. After the end of Mashle they pulled second-run Invincible Fight Girl for FLCL Grunge and Shoegaze and new regular Adult Swim series Common Side Effects in that prime midnight hour for reasons fans are not quite sure of. Except for that it shows acquisition struggles. However it’s basically biding time as the network has announced that Lazarus, the newest series from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe, will premiere on April 5 in that midnight slot. The accompanying release of the official trailer follows the teaser at at San Diego Comic-Con in 2023 and the first look at New York Comic Con this past October.
Lazarus is described as a “pulse-pounding thriller” about a miracle drug in the year 2052, Hapna, that is believed to free anyone who takes it from all pain. But it comes with a real expiration date of three years. Not for the drug, but for anyone who took it. There’s only a month left for the Lazarus team to save humanity. As the full synopsis puts it “The year is 2052. The world seemed to be on the verge of unprecedented peace and stability, and the painkiller drug ‘Hapna’ developed by a lauded neuroscientist Dr. Skinner has had a lot to do with it. Pervasive throughout the world with no known side effects, Hapna is said to have freed humanity from pain. But then, Skinner suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. Three years later, he re-emerges as a prophet who brings countless deaths and the end of civilization. Hapna is designed with a fatal, retroactive effect, which manifests three years after ingestion, even by those who have only taken it once. Just thirty days remain until humanity is doomed to extinction. The only way to save the world is to get the cure that only Skinner knows. For that we must first find him. Lazarus is a team of five agents gathered from various corners of the world to do just that. Can they save humanity? And what is Skinner’s true purpose?”
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It has felt like quite a long time since a cable network has devoted its nighttime slots to more than two premieres on any given night in a week. The only thing that might’ve come close was Nickelodeon’s AfterToons last year, but well that’s afternoons. However,
“We’re talking Watanabe here – this show is an amazing mix of great characters, super fun high-stakes, brilliant directing, and of course, some pretty great music,” said Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen now says. “We are all so lucky to be able to watch this genius do his thing.” When the series was first announced, Watanabe said “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,” said Watanabe. “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,” said Jason DeMarco, the Senior Vice President and Head of Anime and Action Series at Adult Swim, also at the time of announcement. “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.”
The rollout for the series is going to be rather dub-dominant, with all premieres and first reruns in English including next-day Max postings. The linear reruns will be Thursdays at midnight starting April 10. Japanese audio, English-subtitled airings begin stateside on Adult Swim and Max 30 days after the dub premiere, which amounts to starting May 5 on both platforms. The English dub stars David Matranga as Dr. Skinner, Jade Kelly as Hersch, Jack Stansbury as Axel, Luci Christian as Chris; Bryson Baugus as Leland, Jovan Jackson as Doug, Annie Wild as Elaina and Sean Patrick Judge as Abel.
Lazarus’s action sequences are designed by director Chad Stahelski, best known for John Wick. The series’s score is done by renowned jazz and electronic artists that include jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington and producers/DJs/musicians Floating Points and Bonobo. It is produced by Sola Entertainment and animated by Studio MAPPA.
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Source: Deadline