Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu will join Samuel L. Jackson in the voicecast for AFRO SAMURAI. The five-part animated series, produced by Gonzo in association/partnership with GHK K.K. and FUNimation and premieres on SPIKE Jan. 4, 2007.
AFRO SAMURAI, based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki, is the animated epic of a black samurai's hunt for the gunman who murdered his father. Jackson exec produces and stars as the uncompromising hero, Afro, in this stylish series that is a fusion of animated samurai action and hip-hop culture. Rap artist and producer The RZA is scoring original music for the series.
Perlman will voice to Justice, the six-shooter wielding gunman who kills Afro's father and becomes the sole focus of Afro Samurai's quest for revenge. Kelly will voice Okiku, a friend from Afro Samurai's past who is forced to betray those she loves in order to save one most dear to her.
"We're really excited to have the passion and skills of Ron Perlman on board for AFRO SAMURAI," said Eric Calderon, vp of creative affairs at GDH K.K. "He loves the genre, has tons of experience in the science fiction world, and brings a deep understanding and respect to the material. We're also ecstatic that such a charming and talented actor like Kelly Hu is joining us as well. Her excitement for the show really validates AFRO SAMURAI as a breakout piece with enormous mass appeal."
Perlman brought comicbook hero HELLBOY to life in the feature film and was the title character in the television series, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Among his credits are STAR TREK: NEMESIS, BLADE II, ENEMY AT THE GATES, ALIEN: RESURRECTION and THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU. He has also appeared in a number of television movies and Broadway plays.
"Aside from the opportunity to work with Sam Jackson, whom I admire intensely, the animation of gonzo is as startlingly cutting edge and exciting as anything I've seen to date and that includes 56 years of cartoon watching!" said Perlman.
Hu co-starred in X2: X-MEN UNITED, as well as CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE and THE SCORPION KING. Hu is shooting a half-hour comedy for ABC titled, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Her other TV credits include Martial Law, Sunset Beach and Nash Bridges.
"It's an honor to be working with such amazing talent on this great project. I've been a huge fan of both Samuel Jackson and Ron Pearlman," said Hu. " AFRO SAMURAI brings animation to a whole new level."
FUNimation Ent. will release AFRO SAMUARI on DVD in spring 2007.
Fort Worth, Texas-based FUNimation Ent. (www.funimation.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corp., is a brand management company and one of the nation's leading independent home video entertainment companies. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for developing some of North America's most popular anime series. The company manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, Internet and home video sales and distribution. The company's most recent initiative is the FUNimation Channel(SM), a new, 24-hour digital network featuring programming from the top anime brands in the U.S.
Founded in Feb. 2000, GDH is a globally-focused Japanese media company that produces entertainment for teens and young adults through its GONZO animation brand. Kids and family product is distributed through the recently launched GONZO FILMS and GONZINO brands.
GDH controls licensing management and international distribution for the content it produces. GDH group companies include GONZO K.K., G-creators K.K., Future Vision Music K.K., GONZINO K.K., GONZO Rosso Online K.K., GDH Capital K.K. and GK Ent. K.K. For additional information, visit www.gdh.co.jp (for GDH) and www.gonzo.co.jp/index.html (for GONZO).
SPIKE TV (www.spiketv.com) is available in more than 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom International.
