Plenty of exciting announcements have been made at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival today, including the news from Prime Video that animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky and Cartoon Network Studios are developing a new Conan the Barbarian series.
As we first revealed on SFFGazette.com, Tartakovsky first pitched a series revolving around Robert E. Howard's iconic creation in 2008, but it's finally found a home with Amazon. The series has only just begun development, so it's almost certainly still years away from premiering. On the plus side, we do have a teaser poster that offers a glimpse of what this animated version of Conan will look like.
According to Conan the Barbarian's official logline, "After finding love in the pirate queen, Bêlit, a battle-hardened Conan defies gods, fate and even death to save her from a dark sorcery that threatens to destroy everything."
Tartakovsky will serve as executive producer and showrunner, with Darrick Bachman, Fred Malmberg, and Mark Wheeler also executive producing.
In a video message shared with Annecy attendees, Tartakovsky joked that he hopes to share some animatics next year and rough animation in 2028. He also said he feels a connection to Howard, who is widely considered the creator of the sword-and-sandals genre.
Where this leaves Tartakovsky's planned Game of Thrones project isn't clear, but it marks his first full commitment to a well-known IP since his Star Wars: Clone Wars series for Lucasfilm in 2003.
Over to Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, and we also have a first look at Ghostbusters: Night Shift, which premieres on the streamer next year.
Set in New York City in 1994, the show begins five years after the Ghostbusters took the Statue of Liberty for a walk, as a new supernatural threat hits the Big Apple. In this animated spin-off, a group of scrappy New Yorkers must suit up, face their fears, and bust some ghosts.
Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan, Amie Karp, and Dan Aykroyd are executive producers, while Ben Hibbon and Elliott Kalan serve as co-showrunners.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife received a positive response when it was released in 2021, but Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire drew less favourable reviews three years later. Hopefully, Night Shift will be a return to form for the long-running franchise while Sony figures out where to take the property next in live-action.