If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Hulu’s Koala Man trailer – aside from the newly-confirmed release date – it’s that Australia now has another major superhero protecting us fair dinkum battlers, joining the ranks of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
Created by homegrown talent Michael Cusack of Smiling Friends and Damo & Darren fame in collaboration with animation don Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites), this forthcoming series focuses upon a divorced middle-aged dad named Kevin, who’s stuck in a mundane council job at the epicentre of civilisation: Dapto, Wollongong (NSW).
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By day, he’s a pencil pusher mired in his own mediocrity. But by night – or whenever he can find the time away from his desk – the man/myth/local legend makes it his mission to snuff out petty crimes under the alias of “Koala Man”; taking on such duties as hounding Daptonians for not taking their bins out on the proper days, trimming lawns that aren’t council regulation length, and whatever else gets him beaten up. His only superpower? “A burning passion for following rules.”
Kevin/Koala Man, in addition to an entire host of characters, has been brought to life by Michael Cusack himself with the one and only Hugh Jackman voicing “Big Greg” – Kevin’s direct supervisor, the head of Dapto’s council, and the most well-liked man around town.
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The rest of the cast has been filled out by Emmy-nominated, Adelaide-born actress Sarah Snook (Succession) and absurdist Sydney-based comedian Demi Lardner (Ditch Witch 800, Aunty Donna), who portrays Kevin’s equally frustrated wife Vicky and daughter Alison, respectively; alongside the heavy-hitting likes of Jemaine Clement, Alexandra Daddario, Rachel House, Angus Sampson, Hugo Weaving, Michelle Brasier, Mark Coles Smith, Liam McIntyre, Claudia O’Doherty, Jordan Shanks AKA FriendlyJordies, Natalie Tran, as well as Jarrad Wright.
Koala Man actually represents something of a reunion for Justin Roiland and Michael Cusack, the latter having written and directed the totally cooked Rick and Morty April Fool’s special “Bushworld Adventures” circa 2018. This time around, Roiland has assumed the position of executive producer while Pokemon: Detective Pikachu writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit have served as showrunners.
Back to the matter of the Koala Man release date, all eight episodes are scheduled to premiere via Hulu on January 9th over in the US, meaning Aussies can expect it to hit Disney+ around the same time – check out the trailer above.
