WarnerMedia’s HBO Max is getting first dibs on “gen:Lock” season 2, the next installment of Rooster Teeth’s popular animated mecha series starring Michael B. Jordan.
Season 2 of “gen:Lock” will premiere on HBO Max and have an exclusive 90-day run on the service (the company didn’t announce a release date). After the 90-day window on HBO Max, the series will be available on Rooster Teeth’s First subscription-streaming service.
The half-hour animated dystopian series is set 50 years in the future, in which an oppressive authoritarian force threatens to conquer the world. The resistance recruits a team of pilots for a new form of devastating mecha — with Jordan voicing lead character Julian Chase, the first to volunteer for the cause — but they must be willing to sacrifice everything.
The move to give HBO Max an exclusive window on the show — which is likely to irritate Rooster Teeth members — is an all-in-the-family arrangement. AT&T moved Otter Media, which houses Rooster Teeth, under the WarnerMedia Entertainment division earlier this year. Last month, Rooster Teeth axed 13% of its staff in a move to position itself for profitable growth.
Joining Jordan (“Creed,” “Black Panther”) in Season 2 are returning cast Dakota Fanning (“The Alienist,” “Twilight” movies), Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones,” “Early Man”), Golshifteh Farahani (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”), and David Tennant (“Jessica Jones,” “Doctor Who”).
Season 1 of “gen:Lock” was first available on Rooster Teeth’s subscription VOD service earlier this year. WarnerMedia began airing the show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim this summer.
“Gen:Lock” is executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo of Outlier Society, Jordan’s production company, along with Rooster Teeth’s Matt Hullum and Ryan P. Hall. The series is produced by Rooster Teeth’s in-house animation studio in Austin, Texas.
“We are proud to bring ‘gen:Lock’s bold vision, inventive style, and extraordinary cast to HBO Max, and to build on the success that our partners at Rooster Teeth and Outlier Society have crafted so skillfully,” said Billy Wee, senior VP of original animation for HBO Max.
Rooster Teeth co-founder Hullum, commenting on the HBO Max’s pickup of “gen:Lock” Season 2, praised Wee and the team at HBO Max as having been “incredibly supportive in the development process.” Hullum recently shifted into a new role as chief content officer at the company, after the layoffs in September and the appointment of TV veteran Jordan Levin as CEO.
“We were blown away by the response to the first season of this show, both by the Rooster Teeth community and the Adult Swim audience, and cannot wait to bring it to more fans of action, sci-fi and mecha animation,” Hullum said in a statement.
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