Crunchyroll has announced a deal with celebrities Idris and Sabrina Elba to develop “Dantai” (working title), a dark fantasy animated series for Crunchyroll’s global anime audience. In conjunction with Idris’ Green Door Pictures and Sabrina’s Pink Towel Pictures, the Elbas will serve as executive producers.  

Crunchyroll also revealed that the global brand had surpassed the four million subscriber milestone in January, just six months after breaking the three million subscriber mark. 

“For more than a decade, through anime and anime-inspired originals, Crunchyroll has been leading the charge for the popularization of adult dramatic animation and we are fast becoming the epicenter for the next generation of animation fans, as is evidenced by our incredible growth in registered users and subscribers” says Joanne Waage, general manager, Crunchyroll. “Generations Y and Z have experienced superhero fatigue and are hungry for the new stories and ideas that our creators tell. This development deal with Sabrina and Idris Elba is another example of how we’re working with best-in-class partners to bring in new audiences and tell fresh and compelling stories through a medium that transcends genres and generations.”

Currently in development, the Afro-futuristic science fiction series will be set in a city where the rise of biotechnology has created an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Two rising stars from either side of this divide are pitted against each other in a story that will ultimately explore equality and kinship within a corrupt society.

“We’re really excited to be announcing this deal on our first anime,” says the Elbas. “We’re both fans of the genre and see a huge opportunity to create something unique for a powerhouse like Crunchyroll. The story of ‘Dantai’ is our first collaboration as producers together and is one that is close to our hearts.”