Marvel has dropped the first trailer for the new Hulu original animated series Hit-Monkey, and confirmed the release date as well.
The upcoming 10-episode series is based on Hit-Monkey, a Japanese Macaque who becomes a top assassin in a quest for revenge against the criminal underworld in Tokyo. The character first appeared in a Marvel Comics one-shot in 2010 and later went on to feature in a three-issue story narrative in Deadpool #19-21.
Alongside the teaser, Hulu also released an official synopsis for the new series: After a Japanese snow monkey’s tribe is slaughtered, he joins forces with the ghost of an American assassin and together, they begin killing their way through the Yakuza underworld.
The series stars Ted Lasso himself, Jason Sudeikis, as Bryce, the ghost hitman and mentor to Monkey (Fred Tatasciore). According to an article published by Marvel, the two become mysteriously linked after Bryce is murdered in the Alps and Monkey’s tribe suffers the same fate and thus their tale of revenge begins. Monkey is an incredible killer, although one with a little rage problem, so it’s up to the often sarcastic and cynical Bryce to help him channel his abilities for good.
Fans will also spot Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Predator) as Akiko, Shinji’s mysterious niece and George Takei (Star Trek) as Japanese politician Shinji. Munn’s first MCU appearance was in X-Men: Apocalypse as Psylocke, while Takei previously provided the voice of Wong in Spider-Man: The Animated Series back in 1996. Nobi Nakanishi and Ally Maki play Ito and Haruka respectively, who are Tokyo PD officers caught up in the bloody conflict.
Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory, Office Christmas Party) serve as creators, showrunners, and executive producers; Joe Quesada will also take on the role of executive producer. The series is co-executive produced by Keith Foglesong, Matt Thompson, and Neal Holman; and produced by Duffy Boudreau, Mollie Brock, and Marcus Rosentrater.
Hit-Monkey is a more modern superhero created by Daniel Way along with artist Dalibor Talajic way back in 2010. Marvel’s upcoming animated series is certainly not the superhero adaptation one would expect, but it looks like a crazy ride filled with murder, intrigue, and worth-a-watch monkey business.
All 10 episodes of Hit-Monkey are set to premiere on 17 November, exclusively on Hulu.
