The villain Erik Killmonger from Black Panther, Michael Jordan, has been roped in to voice the main character, Julian Chase in Rooster Teeth’s animated series gen:LOCK . His production company, Outlier Productions will also co-produce the series along with Rooster Teeth.
Jordan who has been on the rise presently for his critically acclaimed performance in NBC’s Friday Night Lights and the indie breakout Fruitvale Station, will lend his considerable talent to the sci-fi series. He will also star in the upcoming movie Creed II.
gen:LOCK follows earth’s last free society which is on the losing side of a global war, and recruits a diverse team of young pilots to control the next generation of mecha-giant, weaponised robot bodies. As Chase leaves behind his life as a fighter pilot to become the first candidate for the programme, he finds his endurance, as well as his very identity, to be tested.
“We are excited beyond belief to announce Michael Jordan as the voice of Julian Chase in gen:LOCK and welcome him to the Rooster Teeth community. Michael’s visionary career choices and commitment to meaningful entertainment, not to mention his love of anime, line up perfectly with what drives Rooster Teeth, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to do some cool sci-fi storytelling together,” commented gen:LOCK creator and head of Rooster Teeth Animation, Gray Haddock.
gen:LOCK is the second anime-style and third 3D animated series from Rooster Teeth Animation, the company that was founded in 2003, and is now a subsidiary of Otter Media, a joint venture between AT&T and The Chernin Group.
The series will premiere exclusively on Rooster Teeth’s streaming service, which launched in 2016 and has attracted 250,000 subscribers with original content since then.