Samurai dinosaurs? Yes please! Mark Andrews, the director of Pixar‘s Brave and the co-writer behind Primal and Samurai Jack, and the New Zealand-based animation studio Floating Rock have been greenlit for a wholly unique animated series, Kyōryū. The announcement comes after Floating Rock released a proof of concept last year, which quickly went viral with over 2 million views. You can watch the gorgeous footage of the proof of concept here:
Kyōryū takes place years into the future, where the modern society of Japan has descended into a post-apocalyptic setting. For reasons currently unknown, dinosaurs have somehow been brought back from extinction, and have now become the dominant life form in this deteriorated vision of what used to be a bustling metropolis. Plot details beyond that are being kept under wraps, though it’s possible the show will center on the adult and juvenile t-rexes we primarily follow in the proof of concept footage…oh yeah. The dinosaurs are also samurai.
Mark Andrews reportedly joined the project after the proof of concept released, and immediately gained interest in being a part of Kyōryū. Andrews further expressed his excitement for the project and working with Floating Rock in the following statement:
“Dinosaurs in post-apocalyptic Japan?’ I want to see that show without even knowing what the story’s about! We’re going to give the audience way more than they bargained for.”
“Why Floating Rock? We totally synced up right from the start… this is a fantastic group. They’re a startup, but they’ve got a ton of experience, energy and great ideas. They’re rebels, and I love that. So yes, let’s take the hill… they established the field and I immediately wanted to do battle. Let’s do this!”
Mark Andrews Has Plenty of Experience With Animated Dinosaurs
Mark Andrews wanting to join Floating Rock in their quest to bring the unique post-apocalyptic dinosaur-infested world of Kyōryū to life makes perfect sense for the animation veteran. Along with a fellow icon in the animation industry, Genndy Tartakovsky, Andrews collaborated on the critically acclaimed Adult Swim action series, Primal. Set in an alternate prehistoric history where cavepeople and dinosaurs co-exist, one such caveman (Aaron LaPlante) forms a unique bond with a fearsome Tyranosaurus Rex, and they embark on an epic journey to survive this inhospitable part of history’s many challenges.
No release details for Kyōryū have been set at this time, but the first two seasons of Primal are available to stream on Max, with a third season currently in development.
via Collider