“Don’t worry about the cost”

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Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe has recently explained how he got some key help for his new anime series, Lazarus, from an unexpected Hollywood director.

It turns out that John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski is a massive fan of Watanabe’s legendary work, particularly Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. When he was asked to collaborate in his upcoming anime series, Stahelski didn’t even have to think about it.

“This show gave me the opportunity to pursue significant collaborations,” Watanabe said during an interview with Anime News Network.

He and his team reached out to Stahelski, hoping he would provide them with some action choreography tips for the show. However, according to Watanabe, his answer was: “Leave it to us! We’ll do the choreography for you!”.

Watanabe was worried about the budget, but Stahelski still insisted on helping. “Don’t worry about the cost. Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo have inspired me for years. Let me do this for you,” Stahelski told him.

In the same interview, Watanabe recalled how Stahelski explained his vision for the fight choreographies in the new show, offering as an example the church-set action scene in Cowboy Bebop, episode 5.

“In between the action peaks, there are quiet moments. It’s that sort of rhythm or contrast between these scenes of violence and serenity. He [Stahelski] really encouraged me to build upon scenes like that, since he considered that a great action scene,” Watanabe explained.

The John Wick director ended up working on four or five episodes of the upcoming anime series.

Lazarus is set for a 2025 release on Cartoon Network’s late-night Toonami block on Adult Swim. In the meantime, check out our list of the best anime shows you should be watching in 2024.