If you want to make a winning wager in Hollywood, bet on Zoe Saldana. The Marvel, Star Trek, and Avatar star is box office gold. Now she’s taking her winning streak to the small screen. Her Cinestar Pictures is teaming up with Crunchyroll for a new space saga anime series.
Crunchyroll has announced it’s developing Dark Star Squadron, “an epic animated space opera,” with Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures. Voltron: Legendary Defender‘s Todd Ludy will write with the series with the Guardians of the Galaxy star and her two sisters, Cisely and Mariel Saldana. The three siblings co-founded Cinestar Pictures together. They will also serve as executive producers. Pollinate Entertainment’s Sonia A. Gambaro and Maytal Gilboa will join as producers. The show will air on Crunchyroll’s streaming service, which just hit five million subscribers.
Crunchyroll
“The tremendous growth of our streaming service is indicative of the growing love for anime and its deserved spotlight in popular culture,” said Joanne Waage, general manager, Crunchyroll, in a statement. “Zoe and her team are bringing their own anime fandom to their storytelling and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
The series will follow four young space explorers who find themselves in a dangerous situation. From Crunchyroll:
“Dark Star Squadron follows the journey of four failing cadets who return from a joyride with a stolen starship to find their academy in ruins and everyone vanished. Now on their own, the ill-equipped heroes embark for the far side of the galaxy to find the missing and prove their worth.”
That also sounds like a great premise for a live-action series. The kind you’d love to have Zoe Saldana in the cast for. Right now, though, she and her sisters are focused on creating a great anime series.
Paramount Pictures
“As true animation and anime fans ourselves, we are so excited for the opportunity to partner with Crunchyroll to bring Dark Star Squadron to a wide audience,” said the three Saldanas in a press release. “We can’t wait for everyone to meet the crew and follow the journey of our unlikely heroes.”
We expect it to be a great journey. Never bet against Zoe Saldana.
