Jackson set to produce Afro Samurai

Big news on the anime front: Spike TV sent out a press release recently that Samuel L. Jackson will produce and voice the hotly anticipated five episode anime series Afro Samurai with Japanese anime studio Gonzo and Fuji Television.

The tale spins around a black samurai, Afro, to be voiced by Jackson, who is on a quest to avenge his father's death, meeting "enemies, friends and challenges along the way". Hopefully the series will be more original than the storyline of "antisocial warrior avenging the wrongful death of his (insert relative of your choice here)".  Jackson overflows with talent on the big screen, but Afro Samurai will need to pack a lot more punch than its initial press release to stand out in the anime crowd, even with his gravely voice bringing life to the lead role.

The series blends samurai style with hip-hop, something the Spike TV folks claim in their press release "American audiences have never seen before". Guess the Spike TV guys haven't been keeping up with Shinichiro Watanabe's latest effort, Samurai Champloo.