Rumors of a movie version of Samurai Jack have circulated for years. J.J. Abrams was even reported to be co-producing the film in 2009. However, we have yet to see a big-screen adaptation of this 2D animated series, which originally aired on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2004.
However, don’t lose all hope just yet. Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky still wants this beloved animated series to come back in some way, shape or form.
"I would love to finish the story of Samurai Jack. I feel like people are still kind of interested in it, and it’s nice that after all these years, people are still responding to it, like two generations down almost from it being on the air for the first time," Tartakovsky said during a recent phone interview with Tech Times. "I know the conclusion in my head now. I’ve worked it out, and so I’m trying to find what the perfect vehicle for that is."
Unfortunately, Tartakovsky wouldn’t elaborate much on what an ending for Samurai Jack would look like, but he did add that "it’s a really strong, emotional and surprising end to the story" and he’s "just looking for that right opportunity to express it."
In case you're wondering, Tartakovsky did see that fan-created computer-animated Samurai Jack tribute video that made the rounds on the Internet a few months ago, but don’t expect anything involving this animated series to look like that in the future.
"It’s very funny. It’s very nice that they did that and they put the time in, but it’s kind of like to me and Scott Willis, who’s the production designer from the Jack series, we were like, 'Why’s everybody making such a big deal? This wasn’t at all what we would do,'" Tartakovsky said. "But I appreciate the effort that the person put in and the response. It was very nice."
Even though we might not know if or when we’ll see Samurai Jack in action again, it’s easy to see Tartakovsky’s work on the big screen these days. Tartakovsky directed Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania 2, which hits theaters Sept. 25.
Stay tuned for an interview with Tartakovsky about his latest project coming later this week.
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