Genndy Tartakovsky has been behind some of the most iconic animated projects of our time, from Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory to Primal and his recent Netflix movie Fixed. But there’s one project he hasn’t been able to bring to life, and now he’s turning to fans for help in making it happen.
Tartakovsky has finally shared the first look at his long-gestating original animated feature The Black Knight, and it looks absolutely awesome! I need to see this film get made!
Tartakovsky took to Instagram to unveil the test footage, revealing that the project has been in development for six years. The clip he shared wasn’t a polished teaser but a rough test made to show the studio what he envisioned. Even with that, the studio wasn’t convinced an audience would show up for it in theaters, and the film was shelved.
Now Tartakovsky is switching gears and asking the fans to help push this project forward. He explained in his post:
“Well, this might get me in trouble….But gotta try a new strategy. About 6 years ago we started development on a more adult animated action movie, The Black Knight. We developed it for a few years, the studio liked what we were doing but they were unsure if there is an audience that would go see it theatrically.
“We made a down and dirty test, and still no go. So to try something different I thought I would share the test to see if it can get a ground swell of excitement that would change the studio’s mind.”
He also teased a key piece of the story that makes the concept even cooler:
“I won’t share the details of the story except for one element, our Knight Armor is 20 feet high and controlled by a knight inside using ropes, pulleys, and levers. The setting is around the 14th century. Anyways, I’ve already said too much.”
Well, that sounds freakin’ badass and it’s crazy to me that he’s been having a hard time to get this project off the ground!
The test footage he released shows the massive armored knight in combat with a nimble assassin or mercenary. The fight is brutal and cinematic, with the smaller opponent dodging the knight’s crushing attacks until they’re briefly caught and hurled into a tree.
The assassin regains footing and uses their speed to stay alive, with the sequence ending in a tense standoff as they hide behind the knight’s enormous broadsword.
Even in its raw form, The Black Knight looks visually striking and packed with stylish, hard-hitting action. On top of that, Tartakovsky’s tease about the pilot of the towering armor leaves plenty of mystery for fans to obsess over. Who is inside the suit, and how did they end up controlling this 20-foot death machine?
It’s not clear what studio currently has the project, but the early reactions to the footage have been overwhelmingly positive. Fans are already rallying behind it, and hopefully this push is enough to finally get it greenlit.
Tartakovsky has given us some of the best animated series and films ever made, and The Black Knight looks like it could be another one to add to his list of classics.
