S.S. Rajamouli is bringing his flair for epic action and fantasy to a new adult animated series for Disney+ Hotstar in India, Baahubali: Crown of Blood, based on his hit live-action film franchise. Rajamouli is the director of numerous Indian blockbuster films, including international breakout RRR, which grossed $166.6 million worldwide and won numerous accolades (including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu”).
“This story will reveal for the first time many unknown twists in the lives of Baahubali and Bhallaladeva and a dark secret long forgotten as the two brothers must save Mahishmati,” Rajamouli told Variety. “We are extremely happy to introduce this new chapter to Baahu’s fans and to bring this story in an animated format, which brings a new, exciting look to the world of Baahubali.”
Series co-creator Sharad Devarajan added, “Baahubali: Crown of Blood is an animated action-packed adventure filled with political intrigue, drama, betrayal, war, heroism, loyalty and courage.”
The series is produced by Graphic India (Disney+ Hotstar’s The Legend of Hanuman) and Arka Mediaworks. Creaors Rajamouli and Devarajan also serve as producers alongside Shobu Yarlagadda; Jeevan J. Kang and Navin John are directors and producers.
The Baahubali films were released between 2015 and 2018, earning $370 million at the global box office. The Telugu- and Tamil-language films starred Prabhas and Rana Daggubati as fierce enemies Baahubali and Bhallaladeva. In the animated prequel, these well known antagonists are united in a bid to protect the kingdom and throne of Mahishmati from a mysterious warlord known as Raktadeva (which in Sanskrit could roughly translate to “Blood-red Spirit”).
A previous animated series, Baahubali: The Lost Legends, also produced by Arka and Graphic India, released five seasons on Prime Video.
[Sources: Variety, BoxOfficeMojo]
