Michael B. Jordan to prove his anime fandom by co-producing, starring in new series

Sure, carrying on the legacy of the Rocky franchise and playing the charismatic villain in one of the most buzzed-about superhero movies in ages has probably been fun (and also extremely lucrative). But Naruto superfan Michael B. Jordan’s career didn’t truly take off until yesterday, when The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Jordan will voice the main character in the upcoming anime series gen:LOCK, co-produced by his company Outlier Productions.

Now, this is a Western anime series, hailing from web series-turned-streaming service Rooster Teeth’s animation division, so it’s still only halfway legit. But it does feature giant robots, which helps. Here’s the series description:

gen:LOCK is a 3D animated series set on Earth while its last free society is on the losing side of a global war. A diverse team of young pilots is recruited to control the net generation of mecha, so-called giant, weaponized robot bodies. These recruits find that their newfound abilities come at no small cost. Jordan will star as Julian Chase, who leaves behind his life as a fighter pilot to become the first candidate for the program, where he finds his endurance, as well as his very identity, will be tested beyond anything he ever imagined.

No date has been set for the premiere of gen:LOCK, but it will stream exclusively on Rooster Teeth’s subscription app, which runs $5 a month. The series comes on the heels of Netflix’s anime flop Neo Yokio, which centered around the voice talents of Jaden Smith and landed with a splat last fall. But even if gen:LOCK fails to impress Jordan’s fellow anime fans, we’re sure he’ll be fine. He’s got friends he can fall back on.