John Wick Director’s Action Work Shines in Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus Trailer

Lazarus is the latest anime offering from acclaimed creator, Shinichiro Watanabe. The new anime series, which will be released on April 5th, has been years in the making for Watanabe and Studio MAPPA and was first announced over two years ago. The latest trailer for Lazarus finally unveiled the release date and highlighted the stunning animation and action choreography — the result of Watanabe’s partnership with John Wick director, Chad Stahelski.

Chad Stahelski is best known for directing all four entries in the John Wick franchise. The former stunt performer turned director is renowned for the phenomenal action choreography and incredible stunts found in his movies. Shinichiro Watanabe partnered with Stahelski to bring some of that John Wick magic to the world of Lazarus, and judging from the latest trailer; the results are phenomenal.

Lazarus‘ Latest Trailer Highlights Chad Stahelski’s Action Choreography

There is a lot to praise about Lazarus‘ latest trailer. But, some of the standout moments involve the incredible fight choreography. The trailer is filled with action-packed clips, including a fight on top of a moving train with Lazarus’ protagonist, Axel, channeling his inner Spike Spiegel with some spinning kicks, high-octane shootouts, and even Axel going full John Wick and using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a hand-to-hand fight.

Most of those points are already staples of action anime. Studio MAPPA especially has made a name for itself with its expertly crafted action scenes in shows like Chainsaw Man, Hell’s Paradise, and the final season of Attack on Titan. But, that last point screams Stahelski’s involvement. Thanks in part to Keanu Reeves’ commitment to the role, the John Wick franchise is renowned for its (mostly) realistic fight scenes, with Reeves using martial arts like Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu mixed with gunplay — which has since been labeled “Gun-Fu.”

In the trailer, the protagonist uses an Imanari Roll to entangle himself between his opponent’s legs, he then latches onto one of their legs and performs a Single Leg X Sweep to knock them on their back. Despite being brief, the clip feels like it was ripped straight from one of the John Wick movies.

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Chad Stahelski Worked on Lazarus for Free

Not only was Shinichiro Watanabe able to collaborate with one of the best living action directors on Lazarus, Stahelski even provided his services for free. “We were a bit concerned about how much this project was going to cost us. I had to apologize and tell him upfront that we’ve never worked with Hollywood-level budgets,” Watanabe said of Stahelski’s initial involvement in the project. “Chad said in the call, ‘Don’t worry about the cost. Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo have inspired me for years. Let me do this for you.’”

Lazarus is set to debut on Adult Swim on April 5th. The series is set in the near future, where the mysterious Dr. Skinner has created a miracle cure and given it out to the world. But, Skinner then revealed his plan that anyone who took the drug would die in three years unless someone could find him, leading the world on a desperate manhunt to track down the scientist and save the population.