For the first time in several years — and for the first time on a TV show — Jack Black is set to reprise his role in the Kung Fu Panda franchise as Po, the lovable martial arts master who also happens to be a panda. The new show, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight will debut soon on Netflix.
The new show will also feature the return of James Hong as Po’s father Mr. Ping, and introduces a new character, the knight of the title, voiced by Rita Ora. Here are a few new images from the series.
Black provided the voice of Po in all three Kung Fu Panda films, and he also voiced the character in several shorts, but on the two previous Panda streaming TV series, Legends of Awesomeness and The Paws of Destiny, Po was played by Mick Wingert, a talented voice actor who recently subbed in for Robert Downey Jr. as the voice of Iron Man in the What If…? animated series. No offense to Mr. Wingert, but Jack Black is just one of those voices that so distinctive it’s impossible to really replace. So it’s great to see (or really hear) him back as Po.
Here is the new series’ official synopsis:
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 voiced by Rita Ora. 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.
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight will premiere soon on Netflix.
