Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig has been a busy boy. As well as putting finishing touches on the New York combo’s fourth album, the follow up to 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City, he’s also been working on Neo Yokio, an animated series starring Will Smith's son, Jaden, set to premiere on Netflix later this month.
It follows the adventures of Kaz Kaan, a young pink-haired ‘magistocrat’ in the city of Neo Yokio (presumably a play on the ‘Cousins’ singer’s Big Apple hometown), described in the trailer as ‘the greatest city in the world… a diverse labyrinth of cultural and architectural innovation.’
‘Of course, whenever a city becomes the envy of the world problems are bound to arise.’
Oooh.
The star-studded cast also includes Jude Law as Smith’s butler, with supporting roles played by Susan Sarandon, Jason Schwartzman and comedian Desus Nice. Also expect cameos from Steve Buscemi, Stephen Fry and Richard Ayoade.
Ezra Koenig created, wrote, and executive produced Neo Yokio, alongside fellow writer/executive producer Nick Weidenfeld, in collaboration with the anime studios Production IG, Studio Deen, and MOI. Storyboard artists include Kazuhiro Furuhashi and Junji Nishimura.