Warner Bros. Discovery Japan's president of Asia-Pacific, James Gibbons, has expressed extreme satisfaction with WIT Studio's Suicide Squad Isekai ahead of its upcoming premiere in July.
It seems the WBD subdivision is so impressed by the finished product that they want to ramp up their yearly anime output and explore the release of future DC Comics adaptation.
Speaking to Variety, Gibbons stated, "We have a Japanese anime studio, which has been producing five or ten anime series per year, over the last few years. We’ve approved expansion to take that to more than ten series per year."
He went on to explain, "We’ve sold them to third parties. That has been one of the metrics. And they are doing very well. And, so, because we see the appeal of the category, we are expanding it. Anime is one of the best ways to reach the 18 to 30-year-old audience, which is incredibly elusive. Globally, albeit not in every market, but certainly in the U.S., parts of Europe and Latin America, we’ve got strong anime audiences."
Gibbons then went on to state that the rise in anime output in the near future will be tied to the company's exploration of numerous DC Comics IPs.
"There is Japanese anime that comes from original IP. But there’s also anime that comes from elsewhere. And we’ve looked at our DC universe and said, ‘Can we take these characters and reinvent them in the world of anime,’ which is not straightforward because you have to do it the right way. You have to work with the right studios to make it happen and to build your fan base,” said Gibbons.
Eri Osasda will be directing the Suicide Squad Isekai series for WIT, which features a screenplay written by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara, character designs from Akira Amano and Naoto Hasodo, and music from Kenchiro Suehiro.
The voice cast features Anna Nagase as Harley Quinn, Yuuichirou Umehara as the Joker, Reigo Yamaguchi as Deadshot, Jun Fukuyama as Clayface, Taku Yashiro as Rick Flag and Kujira as the voice of Amanda Waller.
There's still no exact premiere date for Suicide Isekai but the series is confirmed to premiere this July.
Suicide Isekai Official Synopsis: In the crime-ridden city of Gotham, Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S., has assembled a group of notorious criminals for a mission: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark. These Super-Villains are sent into an otherworldly realm that’s connected to this world through a gate. It’s a world of swords and magic where orcs rampage and dragons rule the skies—an “ISEKAI”!
With lethal explosives planted in their necks, there’s no running or hiding, and failing the mission means a one-way ticket to the afterlife! Can Harley Quinn and her crew conquer this perilous ISEKAI realm?! Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!