Samuel L. Jackson has been signed to star and co-produce a live-action feature to be adapted from the manga property AFROSAMURAI, created by Takashi Okazaki, according to trade reports.
Japanese animation studio GDH K.K. Gonzo, Fuji TV and Mosaic Media in Los Angeles will produce the flick. Jackson will also provide his voice for the animated TV series due out on Spike TV next year.
AFROSAMURAI is the story of a warrior in feudal Japan who travels the country, seeking revenge for the death of his father, whom he saw murdered before his own eyes as a boy. His nemesis is a three-armed gunman, lord of the dark swordsmans road.
Motion picture production starts in 2006, with a U.S. release targeted for 2007.
The television series, in production by Gonzo and Fuji TV, will first air on Spike TV and then hit the Japanese airwaves.
Mosaic Media's Charles Roven and Alex Gartner are producing the feature film, along with GDH K.K. president Shinichiro Ishikawa and Fuji TV motion picture department head Chihiro Kameyama.
The Firm's Eli Shelden and Julie Yorn will exec produce. Mosaic's Gloria Fan is the creative exec on AFROSAMURAI.
