There’s a new mastiff in town in the first stills from Blazing Samurai, an upcoming reboot of Mel Brooks‘ classic Western satire, Blazing Saddles, featuring animated dogs and cats in place of live actors. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder star in the edgy 70s meta-comedy, which Brooks directed and co-wrote with a team that included Richard Pryor. Little plays a black sheriff hired in bad faith by an attorney general who plans to stoke racial tension in his town in order to serve his own interests.
Adorable images from the animated remake published in Variety reveal the reboot’s fresh new look. Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ricky Gervais lead Blazing Samurai’s voice cast along with George Takei, Michelle Yeoh, Djimon Hounsou, and Mel Brooks as the shogun. A release date hasn’t been nailed down, but the film is set to come out later this year. Take a look at the pictures below:
Blazing Samurai is a freewheeling mash-up of East and West. An action-packed comedy featuring incredible performances from our stellar cast of hilarious characters, it also delivers a great message of inclusion and acceptance. It’s sure to be a treat the whole family can enjoy.
The aforementioned “mastiff” is actually a mutt named Hank, the new sheriff of Kakamucho who dreams of becoming a samurai. When he rolls over into town, Hank realizes his new place of residence has a totally homogenous population of cats. According to GFM, Blazing Samurai “teaches kids and adults alike that embracing diversity is what truly makes you a hero.”
