Picture: Orange / Netflix
Another new anime series has just been lined up for release on Netflix globally in 2025. Adapting the book by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson, Leviathan was formally unveiled at Netflix’s Next on Netflix: Animation event in June 2024.
The logline for the new series is as follows:
“In 1914, on the eve of war, a fugitive prince and a girl in disguise meet aboard a bioengineered airship, the HMS Leviathan, and change the course of history.”
As you may have guessed, the show is adapted from Scott Westerfeld’s best-selling 2009 book Leviathan. This book spawned a trilogy, with the follow-ups being Behemoth and Goliath. Netflix is also adapting another Westerfeld novel in the form of Uglies. That’s getting a US adaptation from director McG and starring Joey King sometime in 2024.
As mentioned, the animation studio behind the new series is Tokyo-based Orange, which is behind Netflix’s flagship anime series Beastars. Active on Netflix since its initial debut in 2019, Beastars serves as an adaptation of the manga by Paru Itagaki; the series is heading into its final season, which will be split into two halves, with the first arriving sometime in 2024.
Elsewhere, the studio worked on Godzilla Singular Point exclusively for Netflix, and it remains hard at work on Trigun Stampede, which was released in early January 2023, with more on the way.
Christophe Ferreira is the director behind the new series. Reacting to the announcement of the anime on X, he said:
“Sometimes dreams do come true. I’m thrilled to announce my directorial debut with a new series for Netflix! I extend my thanks to @NetflixJP_Anime and @qubicpictures for this incredible opportunity, as well as to @cg_orange_inc for their outstanding work.”
Justin Leach and Taiki Sakurai serve as producers on the project with Joe Hisaishi providing original songs for the series with music by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi.
The series’ announcement included three first-look pictures (one above, two below) plus an artwork teaser in English and Japanese (the English version can be found below).
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
Other anime previewed at the Next on Netflix: Animation event include My Oni Girl and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie plus Tokyo Override from the Thai-based RiFF Studio.
Are you going to be checking out Leviathan when it drops on Netflix in 2025? Let us know in the comments down below.