| Ark: The Animated Series | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Based on | Ark: Survival Evolved by Studio Wildcard |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Jay Oliva |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Gareth Coker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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Ark: The Animated Series is an upcoming animated epic science-fantasy television series based on the video game Ark: Survival Evolved. Its release is expected sometime in 2024.[1][2][3]
Premise
Helena Walker is an Australian paleontologist on the 21st century Earth, becomes a grieving widow after the death of her wife, Victoria. One night, after drowning her sorrows in pills and wine, she wakes up suddenly to find herself in the middle of a vast ocean. Escaping from a large, charging shark, she soon washes up ashore on a strange island. Once there, she befriends a wild Dodo, only to discover it was being hunted by a Human male tribe hunter named Bob. After discovering the two arrived to this world in the same manner, Bob teaches Helena the way of survival.
With this strange new world filled with dinosaurs, strange technology, and warring tribes, Helena will do what it takes to survive and hopefully find a way to return to her world.[1][4]
Characters
- Helena Walker (voiced by Madeleine Madden[5]) – An Australian paleontologist from the 21st century who recently woke up on the ARK.
- General Gaius Marcellus Nerva (voiced by Gerard Butler[5]) – A brutal despot of Ancient Rome.
- Alasie (voiced by Devery Jacobs[5]) – A peppy Inuit teen from the 17th century who is finding out where she fits in on the ARK.
- The Gladiatrix (voiced by Cissy Jones[5]) – A commander in an army, led by Nerva, who is said to be formidable.
- Deborah Walker (voiced by Deborah Mailman[5]) – The mother of Helena and an archivist for Aboriginal Australians in the 21st century.
- Thunder Comes Charging (voiced by Zahn McClarnon[5]) – A Lakota warrior from the 19th century who heads a community on the Ark.
- Senator Lucius Cassius Virilis (voiced by Malcolm McDowell[5]) – A conniving aristocrat during the reign of Augustus Caesar.
- Chava (voiced by Juliet Mills[5]) – A member of the village council and healer with much wisdom.
- Victoria Walker (voiced by Elliot Page[5]) – Helena's wife and a humanitarian aid worker who is very idealistic.
- Queen Sigrid (voiced by Ragga Ragnars[5]) – A Viking warlord from the 10th century who is very bellicose.
- Sir Edmund Rockwell (voiced by David Tennant[5]) – The main series antagonist and scientist from the 19th century who is egocentric and has mysterious ambitions.
- The Captain (voiced by Alan Tudyk[5]) – A buccaneer who makes a hefty profit as he sailed around the ARK.
- Bob (voiced by Karl Urban[5]) – A recent arrival to the ARK.
- Henry Townsend (voiced by Jeffrey Wright[5]) – A spy for the Patriots in the American Revolutionary War and an American watchmaker from the 18th century.
- Mei-yin Li (voiced by Michelle Yeoh[5]) – A Chinese rebel leader from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 3rd century who is feared throughout the Ark as the "Beast Queen".
- Han Li (voiced by Ron Yuan[5]) – A Chinese rebel leader from the 3rd century who is Mei-yin's brother.
- Kor the Prophet (voiced by Russell Crowe[5]) – An eccentric character who comes from before recorded history and claims to be a "dino-whisperer".
- Santiago (voiced by Vin Diesel[5]) – A Mek pilot from the 24th century and freedom fighter.
- Cassia Virila (voiced by Monica Bellucci[6])
Production
In December 2020, the series was announced with a trailer during the 2020 Video Game Awards, along with the cast that included Gerard Butler, David Tennant, Michelle Yeoh, Jeffrey Wright, Zahn McClarnon, Elliot Page, Karl Urban, Malcolm McDowell, Alan Tudyk, Russell Crowe, and Vin Diesel, who will also serve as an executive producer.[5][7]
The creators of the Ark: Survival Evolved video game, Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, are the series creators, while Marguerite Bennett and Kendall Deacon Davis are series writers. In 2020 it was announced that Jay Oliva will direct the series, which will consist of 14 thirty-minute episodes that develop the game's world, and that two seasons were in production.[8] In June 2022, the series entered post-production, with Monica Bellucci and Dee Bradley Baker added to the voice cast.[6] In December 2022, with the release of a new trailer, it was revealed Butler and Crowe would also be executive producers.[9]
Gareth Coker is the composer for the series.[5] Oliva was also confirmed as showrunner for Ark: The Animated Series, while Kendall Deacon Davis was noted a lead writer of the series.[10]
Release
The show was initially set to release sometime in 2022, but the second trailer revealed that the series was planned for a release in 2023.[4] In December 2023, IGN wrote that the series is "due out at some point in 2024."[3] The network or platform the show will be released on has not been announced.[1][11]
References
- 1 2 3 Lang, Jamie (January 3, 2023). "'ARK: The Animated Series' Gets First Trailer With Star-Studded Voice Cast". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ↑ Carter, Justin (December 24, 2022). "The Ark TV Show Trailer May Have Sold Me on Ark: Survival Evolved". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- 1 2 Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 20, 2023). "Ark 2 Still on Track for Late 2024, CEO Says". IGN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- 1 2 Kelley, Aiden (January 5, 2023). "Ark: The Animated Series". Collider. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Studio Wildcard Announces ARK: Survival Evolved Animated Television Series, Featuring Unprecedented Voice Cast, Including Gerard Butler, Michelle Yeoh, Madeleine Madden, Elliot Page, David Tennant, Jeffrey Wright, With Russell Crowe and Vin Diesel". Global Newswire (Press release). Studio Wildcard. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- 1 2 "Studio Wildcard Debuts ARK 2 Trailer Featuring Vin Diesel & Newly Signed Auli'i Cravalho Plus Content Plan Reveals for Acclaimed ARK Franchise". Global Newswire (Press release). Studio Wildcard. June 12, 2022. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (December 11, 2020). "Ark: The Animated Series: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh & Elliot Page Among Voice Cast Members In New Video Game-Inspired Show". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ↑ Beresford, Trilby (December 11, 2020). "Vin Diesel Joins Developer Studio Wildcard to Exec Produce and Act in Ark II Video Game, Animated Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ↑ "ARK: The Animated Series, Season 1 Trailer". GoNintendo. December 23, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ↑ "RIDE: Shadow Legends Billion-Dollar Mobile Game Franchise to Be Made Into Limited Animated Series". Global Newswire (Press release). Pixel United. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ↑ Jacobs, Mira (December 30, 2022). "ARK: The Animated Series Drops a Heartbreaking New Season 1 Trailer". CBR. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.