FUNimation Productions has acquired home video, master toy and merchandising rights to Afro Samurai, an animated mini-series that will premier on Spike TV in November of 2006.  Academy Award-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson is set to voice and co-produced the mini-series, which is being produced by GONZO (Samurai Seven), one of Japan's top anime studios.

FUNimation plans to release the first Afro Samurai DVD in early 2007.  Plans are also in the works for a live-action adaptation of the manga by Takashi Okazaki (see 'Afro Samurai to Debut on Spike TV').