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Beloved actor Samuel L. Jackson introduces the first trailer for the animated, anthropomorphic samurai flick, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Unveiled by Paramount Pictures, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank was originally titled Blazing Samurai and will remake legendary writer/director Mel Brooks’ biting satire Blazing Saddles using family-friendly methods.
Inspired by the 1974 comedy western Blazing Saddles, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank follows a hard-on-his-luck hound Hank (Michael Cera), who finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain’s (Ricky Gervais) evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant teacher (Samuel L. Jackson) to train him, our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. The only problem, of course, is that cats hate dogs!
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank has amassed a stellar cast to provide the voices for this assortment of felines and pooches, including Michael Cera as Hank, the bumbling beagle who aspires to be a samurai; Samuel L. Jackson as Jimbo, Hank’s reluctant tuxedo cat sensei who trains him to become samurai; Ricky Gervais as Ika Chu, a warmongering somali cat; George Takei as Ohga, a muscular tuxedo cat that is the leader of Ika Chu’s army; Gabriel Iglesias as Chuck, a clumsy calico cat; Djimon Hounsou as Sumo, a giant tabby cat; Michelle Yeoh as Yuki, an optimistic female manx cat who is the mother of Emiko; and even Blazing Saddles writer/director Mel Brooks, who will voice Shogun, an empathetic British shorthair and the ruler of Kakamucho.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Has Been in Development Since 2015
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, or as it was then known, Blazing Samurai, has been in development for some time. The project was first announced back in 2015, with a release originally planned for 2017. After studio closures, dropouts, handovers, and plenty of writer and director changes, the project was eventually picked up by Align in 2020 with Paramount Pictures distributing. Clearly, somewhere along the way, Blazing Samurai underwent a rather dramatic title change, with Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank taking more inspiration from Bruce Lee than Mel Brook. All with a kid-friendly twist, of course.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is directed by Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier, and has been written by Ed Stone and Nate Hopper. Minkoff is known for co-directing the Academy Award-winning Disney animated classic The Lion King, and has also directed the likes of Stuart Little, Stuart Little 2, The Haunted Mansion, The Forbidden Kingdom, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
How well will the satirical humor and cutting themes of Blazing Saddles transfer over to a family-friendly romp featuring dogs and cats? Well, we will not have to wait too long to find out, as Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is scheduled to pounce into theaters in the United States on July 15, 2022, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
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