Cowboy Bebop Director Debuts Trailer for New Adult Swim Anime, Lazarus

Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe is returning with a new anime for Adult Swim, and now fans have gotten the first look at Adult Swim's mysterious new project with the trailer for Lazarus! It was announced earlier this weekend that Shinichiro Watanabe, the director behind anime classics such as Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Carole & Tuesday and more, was working on an exclusive new anime for Adult Swim. Teased under the mysterious title of Lazarus, it wasn't until Toonami took the stage during the Adult Swim Festival On the Green this year that fans actually got the first look at what to expect next. 

Taking the stage during the Adult Swim Festival On the Green Toonami panel over the San Diego Comic-Con 2023 weekend, Shinichiro Watanabe revealed the first trailer for the new Lazarus anime. With Studio MAPPA producing the animation, John Wick director Chad Stahelski designing action sequences, and Sola Entertainment producing for a release on Toonami now in the works for an aimed release next year (should Watanabe and the team be able to finish the anime by that time, but it's not set in stone yet), you can check out the first trailer for Lazarus below: 

What to Know About Shinichiro Watanabe's Next Anime

As for what to expect from Lazarus, Adult Swim begins to tease it as such, "The year is 2052 – an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity prevails across the globe. The reason for this: mankind has been freed from sickness and pain. Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist Dr. Skinner has developed a miracle cure-all drug with no apparent drawbacks called Hapuna. Hapuna soon becomes ubiquitous… and essential. However, soon after Hapuna is officially introduced, Dr. Skinner vanishes. Three years later, the world has moved on. But Dr. Skinner has returned – this time, as a harbinger of doom. 

The synopsis continues with, "Skinner announces that Hapuna has a short half-life. Everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. Death is coming for this sinful world – and coming soon. As a response to this threat, a special task force of 5 agents is gathered from across the world to save humanity from Skinner's plan. This group is called 'Lazarus.' Can they find Skinner and develop a vaccine before time runs out?"

What do you think of this first look at Shinichiro Watanabe's Lazarus? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!