Pacific Rim, Altered Carbon Lead Netflix’s New Anime Lineup

Netflix unveiled five new anime projects in development at its “See What’s Next: Asia” event in Singapore this week, at which the streaming giant also revealed its ambitious plans to produce more original programming in Asia.

First, the Pacific Rim franchise is coming to the small screen, where an original anime series will expand upon the story of the first two live-action movies. Returning to the epic battle of Kaiju versus Jaegers, the series will follow two siblings—an idealistic teenage boy and his naïve younger sister—who are forced to pilot an abandoned Jaeger across a hostile landscape in a desperate attempt to find their missing parents. The series comes from co-showrunners Craig Kyle (Thor: Ragnarok) and Greg Johnson (X-Men: Evolution) for Legendary Entertainment, which also produced the original movies.

There’s also an anime feature set in the universe of Altered Carbon, Netflix’s live-action cyberpunk series based on the novel by Richard K. Morgan, the second season of which is now in development from Skydance Television. The feature will “explore new elements of the story mythology,” per a press release, and comes from writers Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop) and Tsukasa Kondo for Anima.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious disease called “Cagaster” turns people into giant murderous insects, the manga-based series Cagaster of an Insect Cage follows a young couple’s struggle to stay alive. The series comes from Hellsing and Afro Samurai studio Gonzo, and director Koichi Chigira (Last Exile, Full Metal Panic!)

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Yasuke is set in a war-torn feudal Japan of mechs and magic, and follows a retired ronin who must take up his sword when he is charged with the task of transporting a mysterious child whom dark forces want to eliminate. The series comes from creator/director/executive producer LeSean Thomas (The Boondocks, Cannon Busters), and will feature music from Flying Lotus, who will also executive produce. Lakeith Stanfield will voice the titular protagonist, Yasuke, who is based on the historical samurai of African origin who fought with Oda Nobunaga.

The anime series Trese is based on the Philippine graphic novel by the same name, created by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldissimo. Set in a Manila where the mythical creatures of Philippine folklore live in hiding amongst humans, the series follows Alexandra Trese, who finds herself going head to head with a criminal underworld made up of malevolent supernatural beings. Trese comes from executive producer Jay Oliva (Wonder Woman, The Legend of Korra), and producers Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson at BASE Entertainment, a studio based in Jakarta and Singapore.

Stay tuned for more updates on these projects, which are currently in development.