Legendary cartoonist Stan Sakai’s longtime comic books epic adventure , Usagi Yojimbo, is coming to Netflix as an adapted new animated series. French TV company Gaumont has already begun production on what will be a CG-animated kid series titled: Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

This series will be very different from the Edo Japanese era, setting forth a fresh foundation for our samurai rabbit. Described “is a series takes place in the far future, set in a world that mixes modern high-tech images with classic Japanese references. It follows the teenage Rabbit Samurai Yuichi, descendent of the great warrior Miyamoto Usagi, on his epic quest to become a true samurai. But he isn’t alone! He leads a ragtag team of misfit heroes – including a roguish bounty hunter, a cunning ninja, an acrobatic pickpocket and a faithful pet lizard – as he battles depth-charging moles, metal-tipped winged bats, and monsters from another dimension, all in the pursuit to become the best samurai Usagi!”

The will have the original Usagi creator, writer, artist, Stan Sakai on board as the Executive Producer, along with Gaumont (Executive Producers Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Sidonie Dumas and Christophe Riandee), Dark Horse Entertainment (Executive Producers Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue), and Atomic Monster (Executive Producers, James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett). Candie and Doug Langdale (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life, Puss in Boots, Niko and the Sword of Life, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) are attached as executive producers and showrunners. Ben Jones (Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans, Iron Giant) is Supervising Producer while Khang Le (Big Hero 6, Little Big Awesome) will serve as Art Director on the series. Mumbai-based 88 Pictures (Trollhunters, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Fast & Furious Spy Racers) has been appointed as the CGI animation studio.

The comic series meanwhile is well-known to the comics industry for nearly four decades with many awards including including a Parents’ Choice Award, an American Library Association Award, and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award. It’s still has an enormous fandom, with creator-owned roots that began alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the mid-1980s, for which Usagi has also crossed over with in both the TMNT comics and animated series episodes.

Stan Sakai, legendary creator, writer and illustrator of the comic-book series speaks optimically of the new series in a recent press release, “It is a pleasure working with Gaumont and Netflix. I am involved in each step of the production and am enthusiastic with the direction we are going into. It is wonderful to expand the Usagi universe by collaborating with so many talented people. I am working with an awesome team and I’m looking forward to finally seeing an Usagi series on the screen! I thank my wonderful fans, friends and family for their support and encouragement over the last 35+ years.”

No release date has been set for the new Netflix series.

Editor Captain’s note: Personally, I am excited for this, though I would rather a more classic hand-drawn style than a CGI look. We shall wait for some visual previews, and hope it’s creative style matches the storytelling and direction that takes Usagi as something with more heart and care, than just being a sword-wielding cartoon rabbit.