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Shinichirō Watanabe fans won’t be waiting much longer to see the premiere of his newest anime series, Lazarus. This morning, Adult Swim has released a brand-new trailer for the series, announcing that the series will premiere on Toonami this April 5 at midnight.
Episodes will be available for streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max) the following day. Adult Swim will also air encore airings every Thursday at midnight beginning on April 10. The show will be 13 episodes in length.
Adult Swim has also revealed the English cast for Lazarus, which will be starring:
- David Matranga as Dr. Skinner
- Jade Kelly as Hersch
- Jack Stansbury as Axel
- Luci Christian as Chris
- Bryson Baugus as Leland
- Jovan Jackson as Doug
- Annie Wild as Elaina
- Sean Patrick Judge as Abel
The show is dubbed by Sentai Filmworks in Houston, Texas.
Several actors have already posted on social media showing their anticipation and how honored it is to be working on a Shinichirō Watanabe anime production.
Jack Stansbury is playing Axel in LAZARUS on X (formerly Twitter): “I play Axel in the English dub of Shinichirō Watanabe’s new series, LAZARUSI truly don’t have the words to describe the feeling of being part of such a big, important, storied artistic legacySo instead I’ll just say 3… 2… 1… Let’s Jam! pic.twitter.com/AxEy4IIdPs / X”
I play Axel in the English dub of Shinichirō Watanabe’s new series, LAZARUSI truly don’t have the words to describe the feeling of being part of such a big, important, storied artistic legacySo instead I’ll just say 3… 2… 1… Let’s Jam! pic.twitter.com/AxEy4IIdPs
Bryson Baugus (@baugusbryson.com)
I’m so excited to announce that I will be a playing Leland in the English dub of #Lazarus on #Toonami!!! Hyped to be a part of the Shinichiro Watanabe Universe, and I can’t wait for you all to check out this show in April!
https://x.com/Jade_Kelly8/status/1895244178357133561
https://x.com/annie_inthewild/status/1895242991524311460
Seán Patrick Judge (@seanjudge.bsky.social)
Well…the cat’s out of the bag. Such an incredible honor to be able to say I’m parti of something created by the incredible creator of Cowboy Bebop Shinichirō Watanabe. #Lazarus https://youtu.be/LpG8vtFMkD0?si=BUjbm6DkwHqusZfT
Lazarus will also be airing in Japan on TV Tokyo beginning on Sunday, April 6th at 11:45pm JST. As for when the sub will be available internationally, it was revealed (via Deadline) that “episodes in Japanese with English subtitles will debut in the U.S. on Adult Swim and Max 30 days after their English-language premiere.”
The Japanese cast was revealed back in December, which stars:
- Mamoru Miyano as Axel
- Makoto Furukawa as Doug
- Maaya Uchida as Christine
- Yūma Uchida as Leland
- Manaka Iwami as Eleina
- Megumi Hayashibara as Hersch
- Akio Ōtsuka as Abel
- Kōichi Yamadera as Skinner
https://x.com/lazarus_jp/status/1895307947833426202
Lazarus is produced by Sola Entertainment and animated by Studio MAPPA. Watanabe has recruited a few notable Hollywood figures for the production of Lazarus, including action sequences designed by director Chad Stahelski of John Wick fame. And will feature music scores by renowned jazz and electronic artists including Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo.
Shinichirō Watanabe is no stranger to Toonami viewers, as he has directed or contributed to various acclaimed anime series, including Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy. Cartoon Network president Michael Ouweleen has been very positive in regards to Lazarus’ production, saying in a statement released to Deadline: “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, […] We are all so lucky to be able to watch this genius do his thing.”
Lazarus’ synopsis is as follows:
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?
If you missed it, Adult Swim has released a sneak preview of the first episode, first revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 and released to the public at New York Comic Con later that year.
What are your thoughts on the Lazarus trailer? Are you looking forward to the Lazarus premiere in April? Sound off in the comments below or on our social media outlets.
