From anime legend Shinichiro Watanabe (“Cowboy Bebop”), the highly anticipated new series “Lazarus” follows secret agents hunting for a vaccine to save humanity. The new anime will premiere Saturday, April 5 @ midnight on Adult Swim during the network’s Toonami action/anime block.
Marking Watanbe’s return to the sci-fi genre, “Lazarus” is a pulse-pounding thriller about a miracle drug, Hapna, that presumably frees anyone who takes it from all pain. However, it is later revealed that Hapna has a fatal consequence: all who have taken the drug will perish. With only thirty days to save humanity, a group of agents must find a vaccine before all is lost.
“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. “We are all so lucky to be able to watch this genius do his thing.”
“Lazarus” features action sequences designed by director Chad Stahelski (“John Wick”) and a captivating score by renowned jazz and electronic artists including jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington (West Coast Get Down); producer, DJ, and musician Floating Points (Floating Points Ensemble); and producer, DJ, and musician Bonobo.
The series will air on Adult Swim in English, with new episodes available the next day on Max. English-language encore airings will debut every Thursday at midnight beginning April 10. Episodes in Japanese with English subtitles will debut in the U.S. on Adult Swim and Max 30 days after their English-language premiere.
“Lazarus” is produced by Sola Entertainment and animated by Studio MAPPA.
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?
English Voice Cast:
Dr. Skinner – David Matranga
Hersch – Jade Kelly
Axel – Jack Stansbury
Chris – Luci Christian
Leland – Bryson Baugus
Doug – Jovan Jackson
Elaina – Annie Wild
Abel – Sean Patrick Judge
About Adult Swim
Adult Swim is the leader in adult animation and #1 destination for young adults for over fifteen years, offering critically acclaimed, award-winning series such as “Rick and Morty,” “Common Side Effects,” “Robot Chicken,” “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” “The Eric Andre Show,” “SMILING FRIENDS,” “My Adventures with Superman,” and the upcoming series “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads.” Fan favorite anime block, Toonami, airs on Saturday nights and has expanded beyond acquisitions, producing original series including “Ninja Kamui,” “FLCL” and the upcoming series “Lazarus.” Adult Swim airs nightly from 5PM to 6AM (ET/PT) on its linear channel and reaches fans via Max. Connect with Adult Swim on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Subscribe to Adult Swim on YouTube.
