Sam Jackson is ‘Afro Samurai’, RZA scoring

ByQuibian Salazar-Moreno

Spike TV announced that it will be airing “Afro Samurai” starting January 4, 2007 with a DVD dropping in the spring. The animated series is based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki and tells the story of a Black samurai’s hunt for the gunman who murdered his father. Samuel L Jackson is executive producing the series as well as voicing the lead character Afro. RZA will be scoring the series.

"As a fan of martial art and old Japanese Samurai movies, I have always wanted to be a part of such creativity and to have my own spice added is even better. Many hip hop artist and musicians from the late 80’s to now have been inspired by this form of entertainment, and today’s animators have been stimulated by hip hop. But, usually these two forms of expression never meet in the same realm of artistry," RZA said back in June when he joined the project. "Afro Samurai offers me the opportunity to mix the innovational world of hip hop with the visual imagination of Japanese animation. The vibe of Afro Samurai is so soulful and cool, that when I was asked to compose the series my creative juices immediately reacted. I felt it was something meant for me to do; in many ways Afro and myself share the same spirit."

Actors Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Kelly Hu (X2: X-Men United) will also voice characters for the series. Gonzo, the Japanese animation company, is producing the series and recently released the trailer Here.

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