Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Koala Man

  • ‘Koala Man’ Writers Working on Unannounced Project With Lucasfilm

    ‘Koala Man’ Writers Working on Unannounced Project With Lucasfilm

    It’s always the stories that are hidden within stories that get our attention. In a new piece by Deadline, they reveal that writers of 20th Television Animation’s adult comedy series Koala Man have signed a multi-year contract with Disney’s subsidiary and ABC Signature. Dan Herandez and Benji Samit are rising stars with their work on Kaola Man seemingly getting Disney interested in keeping them long-term. Yet, there’s one more detail snuck away in the reveal.

    In the same article, they seemingly hint that the duo of Herandez and Samit are working on two unannounced projects. One is for Walt Disney Pictures without any further details about what it might be but the other raises an eyebrow. It seems they are also involved with Lucasfilm on a project, but no detail if this is a film or even a TV series.

    EVP of 20th Television Animation’s Marci Proietto and ABC Signature’s Jonnie Davis had only praise for the duo and their work in a statement to the new contract.

    Dan and Benji are wildly talented writers with a truly unique sensibility and a hilarious voice.  We have been obsessed with their work for years and are very excited to continue our relationship in animation with them, and are thrilled to expand their development into live-action within our studio,” said Marci Proietto, EVP of 20th Television Animation and Jonnie Davis, President of ABC Signature.  “We also can’t wait for viewers to dive into Koala Man, which is our first series with this incredible duo, launching on Hulu today.

    It’s definitely an exciting move and showcases their excitement for working with the duo more. Whatever project they may be working on with Lucasfilm also teases a promising variety of projects that they’ll get to work on. Here’s hoping we might get to find out in the near future.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Koala Man’ Adds Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, and Jarrad Wright 

    ‘Koala Man’ Adds Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, and Jarrad Wright 

    Hulu has added a new trio to the voice cast of its animated series Koala Man. The streaming service announced on Thursday that Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, and Jarrad Wright are set to make guest appearances on the forthcoming series. They’ll join Miranda Otto and Hugo Weaving, who are also set to lend their voices to the animated series in guest roles as Mindy and King Emudeus, respectively.

    They’ll join the previously announced Michael Cusack, who is also the show’s creator and executive producer, Hugh Jackman, Sarah Snook and Demi Lardner. Cusack stars as the titular hero, and he also voices the hero’s son, Liam. While Jackman plays Big Greg, Snook plays Kevin’s wife, Vicky, and Lardner voices both Kevin and Vicky’s daughter Alison. Clement is set to play Bazwell, a character described as a nerdy and caring mentor to Liam; he’s said to offer “support [to] the students of North Dapto High with a helpful anecdote or encouraging song lyric.” House will play Annie, Vicky’s friend and coworker at the school canteen, as well as Louise, the proprietress of the bowling club who is attracted to Koala Man. And Wright will play Spider, Kevin’s bogan best friend and neighbor who often helps Koala Man on his missions.

    Koala Man, which will hit Hulu next year, tells the story of middle-aged dad Kevin and his not-so-secret identity as Koala Man whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. The series is produced by Cusack, Justin Roiland, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. 

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Solar Opposites’ and ‘Koala Man’ Creative Teams Discuss Relationship with Hulu

    ‘Solar Opposites’ and ‘Koala Man’ Creative Teams Discuss Relationship with Hulu

    With Hulu having further developed its base of original adult animation content, the question can permeate of how much of a presence does the streaming service have in overseeing the content it distributes. Luckily for the creative teams behind the likes of Solar Opposites and the upcoming Koala Man, the Disney majority-owned platform appears to have a strong tolerance for what can be included in these shows. Murphy’s Multiverse had the opportunity to sit down with the head creative figures of these two shows during San Diego Comic-Con last week, and they offered some insight regarding their working relationship with Hulu. Justin Roiland, co-creator of Solar Opposites and executive producer on Koala Man, even went on to discuss his fortune when it comes to this dynamic.

    I’m really lucky to have partners at Hulu, and all the folks I’m working with, and even at Adult Swim. Everyone that believes in it and is chill. Obviously, Rick and Morty was the foot in the door to get us to Solar Opposites. And then our relationship with Hulu… we’re all friends with the network executives, it’s really a magical thing that is not always the case. There’s certain places where the executives, there’s a very adversarial line. But they (Hulu) trust us and on Solar, we get to do what we want to do. We get notes here and there, but they will let us address them how we feel best to address.

    Justin Roiland

    This concept was further confirmed by specific members of creative team members on both of the series respectively. Specifically, a theme permeated in the writer’s rooms trying to push the boundaries of what they could get away with, only to learn that Hulu was fully on board with keeping the creative process unfettered. Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan and Koala Man executive producer Dan Hernandez both addressed this topic.

    Sometimes we’re like ‘Can we try to piss Hulu off?’ And then we never do, but the episodes come out like we were trying to, which I really like…We’ve tried to get Hulu to tell us ‘no,’ and they just won’t do it.

    Mike McMahan

    There were a few times where we got to ‘Could we do that?’ And Hulu was like ‘Sure, sounds good.’ And I was like, ‘I can’t believe they let us do that.’ It’s been amazing to be at Hulu where there’s nothing that’s holding us back from telling the funniest, best stories that we can think of.

    Dan Hernandez

    Ultimately, this seems to be a good sign that Hulu will remain a strong home for the high concept and daring projects that creative minds such as Justin Roiland and Michael Cusack can concoct. This is certainly the case as seen with the consistent success of Solar Opposites and the high anticipation that has built for the upcoming Koala Man.

    This interview was done in conjunction with Saturday Morning Cereal, Pixelated Geek, and JVS Media & Productions.

  • ‘Koala Man’ Executive Producers Preview Upcoming Series

    ‘Koala Man’ Executive Producers Preview Upcoming Series

    Hulu will be the home to the latest creation from the mind of animator Michael Cusack, a rising star within the field based on the cult followings from various recent projects. Koala Man follows middle-aged dad Kevin and his not-so-secret identity, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following the rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. During the past weekend’s San Diego Comic Con events, Murphy’s Multiverse had the opportunity to sit down with Cusack, alongside executive producers Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez to discuss the upcoming series.

    Michael Cusack and Benji Samit discussed how this project serves as a major step towards creating a project appealing to a more general audience, but also maintaining the goal of keeping the content of the show generally in line with the content of Cusack’s previous work.

    Koala Man is the experiment in doing something more mainstream, more for a broad audience. But still trying to keep that edge that I had on YouTube and with other projects. But seeing how to marry that with something that’s a bit more serialized.

    Michael Cusack

    I sort of took it as a mission to take Michael (Cusack)’s Youtube, AdultSwim energy…which is also funny and good, but bringing it to a half-hour family sitcom adventure, superhero thing. To bring in a bigger audience and widen it, but also not lose sight on what makes Michael uniquely Michael.

    Benji Samit

    One element of this series that stood out during the interview was the creative team discovering a surprisingly emotional core to the show that has helped define Koala Man as a truly distinct entity in the universe of Michael Cusack projects and adult animation at large. Executive Producers Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez both discussed this topic.

    We’re also really proud that the show is weirdly very optimistic and very emotional…Koala Man really loves his family, and really loves his town, and really cares about other people in a kinda earnest, almost naive kind of way sometimes. I think there is a sweetness to the show that is a little bit unexpected in the adult animated space.

    Benji Samit

    One of the cool things with the show is that it kinda sneaks up on you that it’s a superhero adventure. And that by the end of the season, you’re like ‘I’m really invested in the story of what’s happening and I really didn’t expect that’. And that was intentional on our part. That was something that we really spent a lot of time talking about. I think a lot of the time, the more seriously that you take something, the more funny it is and that it can actually offer it at the same time. And I think that this has been a real experiment in that. So at least for me, when I watch the finale, I’m emotionally moved.

    Dan Hernandez

    Koala Man is produced by 20th Television Animation and will be released on Hulu. The main cast consists of Michael Cusack, Hugh Jackman, Rachel House, Jarrad Wright, Claudia O’Doherty, Michelle Brasier, and Natalie Tran. And this past Thursday’s San Diego Comic-Con panel confirmed the additions of Sarah Snook and Demi Lardner to the principal cast. 

    This interview was done in conjunction with Saturday Morning Cereal, Pixelated Geek, and JVS Media & Productions.

  • ‘Koala Man’ Writers Preview the Scope and Creative Freedom of their Upcoming Series

    ‘Koala Man’ Writers Preview the Scope and Creative Freedom of their Upcoming Series

    Animator Michael Cusack‘s universe is expanding with the upcoming release of Koala Man. Murphy’s Multiverse had the opportunity during San Diego Comic-Con to sit down with the YOLO and Smiling Friends creator, alongside writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit to discuss the new superhero animated series coming to Hulu. Cusack started by providing a template of what to expect in terms of the scope of this new world.

    It’s usually low stakes, relatable kinda small town things that I’ve experienced or other writers experienced. Not just from Australia, but small towns too…and using small stakes, low stakes situations and seeing where they can go. Either they go big and surreal or we commit to the low stakes and see where that goes too. It’s a sandbox where we can just do what we want.

    Michael Cusack

    As someone who has been involved with various bombastic, adult-oriented animations in his career, Cusack and the writer’s team provided some insight into the tone that we can expect from the project.

    It’s good to have the freedom for sure. In saying that, it doesn’t mean that we’re like ‘oh we can do anything so it’s got to be as gratuitous as we want’. It’s not really that hardcore adult. It’s really just an elevated Simpsons in a way.

    Michael Cusack

    They also highlighted how much creative freedom they had while working on it. So, no idea was shot down at any time throughout their time working on it.

    But I think that it is exciting to not limit where the story can go and how it can be expressed. Because sometimes in others’ writers rooms…you pitch something that’s hilariously funny and go ‘oh but we could never do that’. But that phrase was not uttered in the Koala Man writers room.

    Benji Samit

    Koala Man is produced by 20th Television Animation and will be released on Hulu. The main cast consists of Michael Cusack, Hugh Jackman, Rachel House, Jarrad Wright, Claudia O’Doherty, Michelle Brasier, and Natalie Tran. And Thursday’s San Diego Comic-Con panel confirmed the additions of Sarah Snook and Demi Lardner to the principal cast. 

    This interview was done in conjunction with Saturday Morning Cereal, Pixelated Geek, and JVS Media & Productions.

  • Justin Roiland on his Creative Collaboration on ‘Koala Man’ and ‘Solar Opposites’

    Justin Roiland on his Creative Collaboration on ‘Koala Man’ and ‘Solar Opposites’

    As someone deeply ensconced with numerous projects simultaneously, Justin Roiland is very much grateful for the creative relationships he has with collaborators on his various adult animation programs. While sitting down with Murphy’s Multiverse at San Diego Comic-Con, Roiland discussed his involvement with the creative team and the production behind the upcoming Koala Man series.

    I surround myself with amazing, talented people. For Koala Man, I’ve got Benji (Samit), Dan (Hernandez), and Michael (Cusack). Which that’s their thing, I’m very hands-off with that show. My whole thing was like ‘I just need Michael to have a show’ and so my job was to just get that show green-lit, and then to protect them from notes, and to protect them from…if there was anything that’s bumming them out, that they feel really strongly about, then they can call me and I can step in. And surprisingly, I haven’t had to do it that much because Hulu is so fucking chill. They believe in the show. They’re like ‘yeah this is great.’ But in terms of actually writing and the moment-to-moment and the writer’s room, I’m two arm-lengths away from it. I’m more of a fan of it.

    Justin Roiland

    Being able to have that level of distance between himself and the series shows the level of trust Roiland holds with his collaborators. It’s certainly notable to see an influential figure such as Roiland go to bat on that level for Michael Cusack in providing the outlet for him to have his own Hulu animated series. Roiland compared his involvement, and his trust in his collaborators, with Koala Man to that of his own series in Solar Opposites.

    And then for Solar Opposites, it’s Danielle (Uhlarik), Josh (Bycel), and Mike (McMahan), and our writers on that. And you know I’m closer to that one obviously, but still that show would not be as good as it is…we have all these amazing ideas coming from our other crew that feed into that show.

    Justin Roiland

    Justin Roiland certainly expresses a great deal of respect and trust in his creative co-workers. And with that, it’s not a surprise to see the developing success that has been established through this new era of adult-oriented animated projects with Hulu.

    This interview was done in conjunction with Saturday Morning Cereal, Pixelated Geek, and JVS Media & Productions.