When HBO Max started purging animated content last year, several cartoon fans found themselves in a strange position. Part of the allure behind HBO Max was the wide array of content it offered for viewers. Through their Warner Brother library, HBO Max swiftly became a highly sought-after streaming service for animation aficionados worldwide.
For millions of Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z cartoon junkies, Adult Swim's connection to HBO Max was also a major selling point. In addition to boasting the brand's entire library, HBO Max also promised a litany of movies and revival series aimed at fans of Adult Swim classic shows. However, during the animation purge, it became apparent that several of the promised projects were most likely doomed. But if there's one property under the Adult Swim banner that knows how to survive certain doom by transferring its consciousness into another vessel, it's The Venture Brothers. In the tweet from Jackson Publick linked above, you can take your first look at the upcoming Venture Brothers movie. Which is still happening…at least for now.
Fans of the Adult Swim series got confirmation of that latter happy little fact earlier this week, when series creator Jackson Publick paid homage to the 20th—Jesus!—anniversary of the animated series' pilot by tweeting out the first image from the upcoming film. (It's of "Swedish Murder Machine" and prime Patrick Warburton role Brock Samson, contrasted in Publick's tweet with a shot of the character from said pilot. He's bulkier now!)
The Venture Bros. movie was announced back in 2021, during an altogether more expansive phase of Warner Bros.' approach to online content; it was actually part of a slate of Adult Swim revival films, which also included the movie that eventually became Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (and, alongside it, a new run of Aqua Teen episodes) and an as-yet unseen sequel movie to Brendon Small's Metalocalypse.