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[via press release – original release date uncertain]

You Don’t Know SAMURAI JACK: New Series Rises on Cartoon Network August 10

Action Series from Genndy Tartakovsky Debuts with Special 90-Minute Premiere

On August 10, SAMURAI JACK, a new animated action series from Genndy Tartakovsky, slashes its way onto Cartoon Network.  Tartakovsky, who created the network’s successful original cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory, brings the new half-hour series SAMURAI JACK to Cartoon Network on August 10, 2001, at 7 p.m. (ET, PT).  The special 90-minute premiere movie will be presented with limited commercial interruptions.  New episodes of SAMURAI JACK will debut Mondays at 8 p.m. (ET, PT), starting August 13.

SAMURAI JACK tells the story of a great warrior displaced to the distant future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku.  The world has become a bleak place under Aku’s rule, segregated into fantastic tribes and policed by Aku’s evil robot warlords.  Samurai Jack travels this foreign landscape searching for the time portal that can return him to his home.

In addition to exotic civilizations and strange cultures, SAMURAI JACK will also encounter modern urban landscapes and all their trappings, such as flying cars, huge skyscrapers and even techno music.  Through it all, Jack relies upon his strength and mental acuity to help him tackle each episode’s challenges. A man of few words, SAMURAI JACK speaks mostly with his expressive eyes.

The centerpiece of SAMURAI JACK is its stylized, intense action, but the show will also contain elements of humor as the protagonist adapts to the travails of modern life.

“I set out to make a show that had enough action to satisfy me,” said Tartakovsky.  “But in addition to incredible action scenes, we’re using music, cinematic storytelling, and stylized backgrounds to create mood and atmosphere.  The environment will be a major character in SAMURAI JACK.”

Tartakovsky created Cartoon Network’s first original series, Dexter’s Laboratory. The show, among Cartoon Network’s highest-rated shows since its debut in 1996, has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and has spawned a successful line of licensed merchandise. More than 52 episodes of Dexter’s Laboratory have been created and an additional 13 will debut on Cartoon Network this fall. Tartakovsky also served as producer/director for Cartoon Network’s Emmy-winning television series The Powerpuff Girls.

Cartoon Network has ordered 26 episodes of SAMURAI JACK, adding to the network’s current slate of original animated shows, which currently includes Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, I Am Weasel, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Sheep in the Big City and Mike, Lu & Og.

CartoonNetwork.com will be the definitive source for SAMURAI JACK information when the site launches its SAMURAI JACK section on July 23.  Users will find all kinds of information about Jack and his nemesis, Aku, including clips and a link to the original animation test for the series.  The first SAMURAI JACK-themed game called “Path of Destiny” will also be featured on the site.  Additionally, the ‘Department of Cartoons’ will include model sheets, backgrounds, storyboards and audio clips from the creator of the show, Genndy Tartakovsky.

Cartoon Network, currently seen in 82.1 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment.  Drawing from the world’s largest cartoon library, Cartoon Network also showcases unique original ventures such as Time Squad, Sheep in the Big City, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Mike, Lu & Og, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Dexter’s Laboratory and Cartoon Cartoons.  Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable’s highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network’s Web site is located at http://CartoonNetwork.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., an AOL Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.