Not only was Earthworm Jim a video game star in the 1990s, but he also starred in a short-lived cartoon series (with a very catchy theme song). Now the world’s most iconic invertebrate is making a small-screen comeback in a brand new series.
Interplay Entertainment has partnered with APA to assemble an all-new creative team, led by Producer Aaron Billet and Writer and Producer Michel K Parandi, that will work on a revival of the 1996 Earthworm Jim animated series. The original series ran for 23 episodes on the WB Television Network, where the show gained something of a cult following for its absurd meta humour and distinct visual style.
Earthworm Jim will focus on Jim, a worm who dons a robotic suit to do battle with a variety of weird and wild foes whilst searching for his lost home; planet Earth. Along the way, he meets all sorts of anthropomorphic animals that inhabit a multitude of wild and zany worlds.
Earthworm Jim Animated TV Series returns
You can see Earthworm Jim himself give a behind-the-scenes interview of the show at beyondthegroovy.com, which should give you a taste of what to expect from the show. Some concept art also came along with the announcement.
The show is being made at Interplay’s freshly-formed television and film studio division, where the software publisher and developer is expanding its catalog of IP into new territory. Creative lead Parandi hopes to tap the potential left on the table by the original series.
“I remember loving Earthworm Jim as a kid,” Parandi says. “And there’s so much potential in this story universe: a galaxy full of animals battling for power. Jim is an earthworm in a universe where Earth is nothing more than a myth. His struggle to find meaning is surreal and comical, but it’s also relatable”
Award-winning animation studio Passion Pictures is tackling the visual side of things.
Earthworm Jim is, of course, most famous for being the star of a Sega Genesis platformer originally created by Shiny Entertainment and spawned three further entries. A new game for the Intellivision Amico was announced back in 2019.
There’s no set release date for the new Earthworm Jim series, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too far off.
