‘Regular Show’ Creator J.G. Quintel’s ‘Mutant Academy,’ Anthony Bourdain Comic Adaptation Get Full Season Orders from Adult Swim
ANNECY, France — During today’s Warner Bros. Discovery Adult Animation Showcase at the Annecy Animation Festival, the company unveiled two new series, “Get Jiro!,” based on the late Anthony Bourdain’s graphic novels of the same name, and “Super Mutant Magic Academy” from “Regular Show” creator J.G. Quintel and Jillian Tamaki.
Created by Briand Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, co-writers of “Sharper” and producers of NBC’s “Superstore,” “Get Jiro!” unspools in a near-future version of Los Angeles and follows the mysterious sushi chef Jiro in a brutal environment where hungry patrons will kill to get a table at the most prestigious restaurants.
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Bourdain “was a big comic fan, a big anime fan. It was a huge anime fan. ‘Mind Game’ from Studio 4ºC was his favorite movie. When I got to Warner Brothers Animation, ‘Get Jiro’ was one of the first things that I optioned from DC,” said added Peter Girardi, executive VP, Alternative Programming, Warner Bros. Animation.
“I started to develop it with Tony when Tony was still alive. Um, and it became a labor of love for me, truly. Also, because, like Michael said, we’re looking for things that are unique. We’re looking for things that are unexpected, that tell stories that we haven’t heard before or other way into a story that we think we’ve heard so many times. And this graphic novel was really that.”
An animatic shown at Annecy unlocked one key to Jiro’s revenge obsession, showing him being attacked by some mobsters as he claims he’s a chef, not a yakuza.
Produced for Adult Swim by Cartoon Network Studios, “Super Mutant Magic Academy” is based on Tamaki’s comic of the same name and will be produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The series, like the comics, will tell the story of Marsha, a transfer student at a fantastic high school where her classmates include a wide array of super-powered mutants alongside other humans.
Each student has a superpower that is reflective of their personality. “It’s about what is happening to kids and what kids are worrying and thinking about in 2024-25. If we can hit that, and I think we do do that, it’s going to be a very big show and be very meaningful to a lot of people,” Suzanna Makkos, head of Adult Animation, Adult Swim, said at the Annecy panel.
“Just as ‘Harley Quinn’ carved out a new space and a new tone for you guys. We think this is carving out kind of a new tone for Adult Swim,” Makkos added.
The series is “super funny dry but with tons of heart,” added Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.
“A fully adult audience will watch it as well because it’s universal. It’s not just teenage themes. It’s like universal themes about being a human and trying to figure out who you are. And it’s funny as hell,” added Girardi.
During Friday’s panel, Ouweleen also revealed that “My Adventures with Superman” has been renewed for a third season. Production had “just begun” with creators turn in outlines, he added.
The animated series follows the exploits of twenty-something Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen as the former works to keep his Superman identity a secret while learning to embrace his role as the guardian of Metropolis. The show is currently airing its second season on Adult Swim.
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