Crunchyroll Hits 5M Subscribers, Teams With Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures On Anime Epic ‘Dark Star Squadron’

Anime purveyor Crunchyroll has surpassed 5 million streaming subscribers and has also teamed with Zoe Saldana on Dark Star Squadron, a project it describes as an “epic animated space opera.”

Crunchyroll, founded in 2006, is owned by WarnerMedia. The AT&T division entered into an agreement last December to sell Crunchyroll to Sony for almost $1.2 billion, but regulators have not yet signed off on the transaction.

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Dark Star Squadron is backed by Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures. Todd Ludy, whose credits include Voltron: Legendary Defender, is onboard to write it. Saldana and her sisters, Cisely and Mariel Saldana of Cinestar are exec producers. Sonia A. Gambaro and Maytal Gilboa from Pollinate Entertainment are also producers on the film.

“The tremendous growth of our streaming service is indicative of the growing love for anime and its deserved spotlight in popular culture,” said Joanne Waage, Crunchyroll’s GM. “Zoe and her team are bringing their own anime fandom to their storytelling and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

Crunchyroll’s anime library offers more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes to fans in more than 200 countries and territories. Along with its 5 million streaming subscribers, the company has 120 million registered users and more than 60 million followers across social media. Crunchyroll’s reach also includes consumer products, content creation and manga publishing.

”As true animation and anime fans ourselves, we are so excited for the opportunity to partner with Crunchyroll to bring ‘Dark Star Squadron’ to a wide audience,” said the Saldana sisters in a joint statement. “We can’t wait for everyone to meet the crew and follow the journey of our unlikely heroes.”

Sarah Victor, head of development at Crunchyroll, said the anime outfit enjoyes working with creators “who are passionate about telling stories through anime, and we can’t wait to bring this interstellar epic to fans across the galaxy.”

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