On Wednesday, Streaming giant Netflix announced that it has paired up with Legendary to give two massive names their very own anime adaptations: King Kong, and Lara Croft.
That’s one big monkey…
Kong’s new anime, simply titled Skull Island, will be a new chapter in Legendary’s Monsterverse, taking place on the eponymous island that Sam L Jackson and co. found themselves stranded on in the 2017 movie, Kong: Skull Island. The series will follow a shipwrecked crew struggling to survive on the island, encountering fearsome prehistoric creatures and the simian monarch himself, King Kong.
The series will continue to add to the lore of the Monsterverse, the newest entry of which, Godzilla vs. Kong just released a titanic new trailer. If you’re a fan of gigantic monsters, it’s going to be a good year for you.
To add to the excitement, the animation studio behind Skull Island is Powerhouse Animation, responsible for the stunningly animated Blood of Zeus and Castlevania animated shows.
An extensive career in exploration
The Tomb Raider series will follow Square Enix’s unstoppable heroine, Lara Craft as she continues to scour the globe for treasures and tombs 25 years after her first game. Over the course of her career, she’s been seen in countless games, comic books, and several movie adaptations. This year she’s set to appear in a sequel to the 2018 Tomb Raider film.
Suffice to say, Lara’s anime debut was a natural next step for the franchise. The series will pick up directly after the events of the recent Tomb Raider trilogy reboot, and will follow Lara on her “latest, greatest adventure”, says Netflix. A bold statement, considering the success of her most recent game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which was nominated for Best Action/Adventure game at The Game Awards in 2018. That’s a tough act to follow.
The animated series will be written by Tasha Huo, who is currently working on the anticipated Witcher spin-off series, The Witcher: Blood Origin.
Netflix, ever the tease, hasn’t given a release date to either show yet. For now, we’ll have to hope that the upcoming Monsterverse movie, set to release in May, will be enough to tide us over while we wait for more news.
(Source: Netflix)