Samuel L. Jackson Gets Animated for Spike TV with 'AFRO SAMURAI'

NEW YORK, May 3 -- Acclaimed actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson is set to voice and produce the highly anticipated animated action-adventure AFRO SAMURAI for Spike TV, with Japanese anime studio Gonzo and Japan's largest TV network, Fuji Television. The five episode series will premiere on Spike TV in 2006.

AFRO SAMURAI is the tale of a black samurai futuristic, yet feudal Japan who is on a mission to avenge the wrongful death of his father. Samuel L. Jackson stars as "Afro," a warrior who travels a solitary path encountering a myriad of enemies, friends and challenges beyond imagination. The series, produced in Japanese animation, blends samurai style with hip-hop, creating a kind of action that American audiences have never seen before.

"With Samuel L. Jackson involved with this project combined with the talents of Gonzo, the leader in producing cutting-edge Japanese animation, and featuring a funky, hip-hop soundtrack -- this project was irresistible for us," says Kevin Kay, Executive Vice President of Development and Production for Spike TV. "Afro Samurai is already generating a great buzz for its animation and captivating storyline."

AFRO SAMURAI is a creative collaboration between Samuel L. Jackson, Takashi Okazaki and Japanese animation company Gonzo, a division of GDH, who is also acting as Series Producer. The concept of AFRO SAMURAI was created by graphic designer, illustrator and artist Takashi "Bob" Okazaki who has worked on the illustration versions of "Spiderman" for Sony and "Blade: Trinity" for New Line Cinema.

Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 87 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, mtvU, VHI, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 12 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

SOURCE Spike TV
Web Site: http://www.spiketv.com