Bright: Samurai Soul is Netflix’s upcoming animated spin-off to David Ayer’s film starring Shang-Chi star Simu Liu as a one-eyed wandering samurai.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu leads the English voice cast in the first trailer for Bright: Samurai Soul, a spin-off anime by Bright.
Joining Liu in the English dub of Bright: Samurai Soul are Fred Mancuso and Yuzu Harada. The Japanese voice cast features Yuki Nomura, Daisuke Hirakawa, and Shion Wakayama. Liu voices Izou, a one-eyed wandering samurai and the main character of the Bright anime. Opposite Izou is the Orc Raiden, voiced by Mancuso. Raiden is trying to redeem himself from his life as a thief.
Samurai Soul is based on the same world as the live-action movies. It takes place in Japan during the late shogunate and early Meiji periods. Directed by Kyohei Ishiguro, the anime blends Japanese culture with the world of Bright, and uses an animation style that combines features of Japanese woodblock prints with 3DCG technology.
The trailer begins with a powerful light emanating from a wand, which is supposed to end the shogunate period as Japan moves into a new era. This is when Liu’s Izou and Mancuso’s Raiden enter the scene. While Izou loses his reason to live, Raiden hates murder and hopes to leave behind his theft of life. The two come across a young elf girl named Sonya, and together they journey along the Tokaido road to bring Sonya and her shining wand to the elves of the north. However, standing in their way is a mysterious organization called the Inferni, which aims to obtain the wand to revive the Dark Lord.
Netflix recently announced another Marvel Cinematic Universe actor will be joining the cast of a Netflix animated film. Hayley Atwell, who voices Captain Carter in What If…?, voices Lara Croft in the anime adaptation of Tomb Raider.
Bright: Samurai Soul premieres October 12 on Netflix.