Anime News Network is reporting a new Gonzo/American co-production, The Five Killers, which features an original story from Afro Samurai producer Eric Calderon and a screenplay written by comic book scribe Mark Waid (Kingdom Come) and George Krstic (Star Wars Clone Wars, Megas XLR). Trinity Blood helmer Tomohiro Hirata is directing the pilot for the 12-episode series about a group of super assassins who find themselves under attack from a mysterious killer.
Eric Calderon, who oversaw the development of a number of animated projects at MTV from 1993-1999, was the V.P. of Creative affairs at Gonzo from 2001-2007 where he developed the Afro Samurai series among other projects. Calderon left Gonzo earlier this year and is now establishing himself as an independent writer/producer.
The combination of American writers and Japanese studios, though not without its cultural clashes, proved to be highly successful with the Animatrix. While the jury is still out on Highlander: Search for Vengeance and Afro Samurai in terms of their commercial success, with projects such as The Five Killers and Tekkonkinkreet (an anime directed by American Michael Arias) it appears that we will see more international anime collaborations in the future.
Edit: I just found the trailer for it.
The five killers trailer
Col. Roy Mustang
