TVSquad

Yes, your grandfather's network just got considerably cooler. Unfortunately, whether or not this is going to put Jackson on our small screens with any regularity remains to be seen. The deal isn't to join a specific series. Rather, Jackson has signed a first-look deal that will have him develop and produce projects for the studio over the next two years.

We'll have to wait to see what, if anything, comes of the new partnership, but there is an encouraging bit in the announcement. Jackson says he's open to the idea of limited appearances on something he produces, referencing Salma Hayek's run on Ugly Betty. I'm of the mind that the more Samuel L. Jackson on the TV the better, but I'll take what we can get. His only previous credit producing television is Spike's Afro Samurai, which is set to return this fall.

(S01E01) Afro Samurai is Samuel L. Jackson's latest venture. It's a captivating mini series that's something of an americanized cross between Tarantino violence and high quality anime. Aside from providing his voice for two characters, he's also co/executive producing it.

"Revenge" begins in the past with the death of the boys father at the hands of Justice, a cackling creepy character, over posession of the #1 headband. I had to watch the fight a couple of times, but I still don't know just how Justice defeated #1. (A weaponized eyeball maybe?)

If you missed the premiere of the new Spike cartoon Afro Samurai, you can watch the full episode on Spike's Web site. Samuel L. Jackson voices the lead character and also executive produces the program, which is geared towards mature audiences. Ron Pearlman voices Justice, the evil villain who killed the samurai's father. Kelly Hu plays Okiku, a friend from the samurai's past. Jackson also voices the comic relief character, Ninja Ninja. Music for the series was composed by The RZA.

The new series is based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki, who has also worked on the manga series Evangelion, among many other projects, including the artwork for the Spider-Man 2 DVD.

Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, and Kelly Hu have signed on to voice characters in the upcoming animated series, Afro Samurai on Spike. Jackson is also executive producing the project, which is based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki about a black Samurai's quest to find the man who killed his father. Jackson will voice the lead character, while Perlman will voice the villain he seeks. Perlman, by the way, is the guy who played the title character in Hellboy and the Beast in the television series, Beauty and the Beast. Hu plays Okiku, a friend from the samurai's past. She played the female version of Wolverine in X2: X-Men United. The RZA is creating original music for the series.

Spike has ordered five episodes of Afro Samurai. They begin airing January 4th.