It’s been 14 years since “Kung Fu Panda” burst on the animation scene and proved to be a massive hit, grossing $631.7 million worldwide, which is pretty huge for a film without any existing I.P. Two sequels later, four short films, and three TV spinoffs, and $1.8 billion in box office receipts worldwide in total. Yes, it’s a bonafide cash cow franchise, which is why Netflix is getting into the action and is producing the animated series “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” alongside Dreamworks Animation.
And recently, details on the project were revealed with Jack Black announcing on TikTok that he is returning as everyone’s favorite accident-prone panda.
Here’s the Netflix synopsis, but the big takeaway is that Po (Black) pairs with a no-nonsense English knight on an epic quest to find four powerful weapons and save the world. Who is that knight voice by? Well, that’s Rita Ora as Wandering Blade. The voice cast also includes James Hong as Mr. Ping, Chris Geere as Klaus Dumont, Della Saba as Veruca Dumont, Rahnuma Panthaky as Rukhmini, Ed Weeks as Colin, and Amy Hill as Pei Pei. Additionally, Netflix announced Peter Hastings, Shaunt Nigoghossian and Jack Black as the executive editors.
Jack Black returns to KUNG FU PANDA in the new series KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT. When a mysterious pair of weasels set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons, Po must leave his home to embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. Together, these two mismatched warriors set out on an epic adventure to find the magical weapons first and save the world from destruction — and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way.
The “Kung-Fu Panda” franchise generally likes to impart lessons such as the power we seek lies inside of us; no one should care so much about what others think because it’s okay to be who we are and how nothing is impossible. What possible nuggets of wisdom can the animated series still impart to us? Find out when “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” hits Netflix on July 14, 2022. Until then, watch the new trailer below to find out more.