‘Cowboy Bebop’ creator, ‘John Wick’ director team up for new anime

Announcement: Adult Swim announced on Thursday that Watanabe, whose body of work also includes “Samurai Champloo,” would be working on a sci-fi thriller series for Toonami alongside stunt coordinator-turned-director Stahelski, who will design the show’s action sequences.

What the movie is about: Set in the year 2052, “Lazarus” explores “an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity” thanks to a miracle drug developed by Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Dr. Skinner called Hapuna. However, Dr. Skinner disappears shortly after the drug’s release, reappearing three years later to reveal that everyone who takes the drug is doomed to die in approximately three years. A five-agent task force called Lazarus is assembled from across the globe to respond to the threat in hopes that they can locate Skinner and develop a vaccine before it’s too late.

Other details: The new series’ sci-fi element isn’t the only similarity it shares with “Cowboy Bebop,” as it reportedly features a score by an impressive collection of renowned jazz and electronic artists, including Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo.

“As I embark on this creative journey, I can’t help but feel that this project will serve as a culmination of my career so far,” Watanabe said in a statement. “I hope you enjoy it.”

Although no release date has been set for “Lazarus,” attendees at the Adult Swim Festival at Comic-Con in San Diego this Saturday will receive a first look at the series presented by Watanabe himself.