Shinichiro Watanabe, MAPPA's Lazarus Anime Teased in Trailer

Adult Swim Festival's “Toonami on the Green” event at Comic-Con International debuted the trailer for Lazarus (Lazaro in Japanese), the new original anime for Toonami with Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy) and animation studio MAPPA (Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan The Final Season), on Saturday.

Watanabe personally appeared at the event and also previewed the character designs and imageboard art from the project. The staff said that they were aiming to complete the project by 2024, but did not commit to that release window.

Image courtesy of Adult Swim

Senior vice president and head of anime and action series at Adult Swim Jason DeMarco confirmed that Watanabe is directing every episode. Chad Stahelski (John Wick stuntman and director) is designing the action sequences for the science-fiction action anime. The anime will feature a score by jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, and producers, DJs, and musicians Floating Points and Bonobo. Sola Entertainment is producing.

Adult Swim describes the story:

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?

Watanabe directed such notable anime productions as Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Carole & Tuesday, and Terror in Resonance. He also directed the "Blade Runner: Black Out 2022" anime short. Watanabe's short film "A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot" screened at the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada in July 2022.

Source: “Toonami on the Green” event (Egan Loo)