Earthworm Jim – the 90s computer hero is returning as an animation

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The entertaining, robotic suit wearing Earthworm Jim will battle evil while searching for his true home. 

Thanks to a Variety report, plus a host of gaming sources, we know that Earthworm Jim – the lead character from a series of mid-90s scrolling games – is being unearthed to lead his own television series.

The show, subtitled Beyond the Groovy, will be fronted by the irreverent Jim, who is joined by a new cast of characters as they navigate a galaxy filled with anthropomorphic creatures. Battling evil, his ultimate quest will be to find his true home among the stars: the mythical planet Earth (sounds a bit Battlestar Galactica to us!)

The series comes from Interplay Entertainment Corp. who own the character rights, partnered with APA and animation studio Passion Pictures. Writer and director Michel K. Parandi is leading the series:

“I remember loving ‘Earthworm Jim’ as a kid, and there’s so much potential in this story universe: a galaxy full of animals battling for power.  Jim is an earthworm in a universe where Earth is nothing more than a myth. His struggle to find meaning is surreal and comical, but it’s also relatable.”

To support the announcement, there’s a first look video in the form of an interview with Jim himself:

Multimedia Minibeast

Earthworm Jim first put his head above ground in the mid-90s, starring in a series of games between 1994 and 1999. Here at CultBox Towers, we’ve been fondly remembering working in a branch of Game and selling the games by the bucketload one Christmas.

Jim was a multimedia presence even then and this won’t be his first small screen outing; there were two series of a Warner Bros. cartoon in 1995, with The Simpsons’ Dan Castellaneta providing his voice. He also spawned a Marvel Comic series, action figures and toys.

There’s no suggestion of where the show might land as yet, but it looks like lots of fun; one for both children and nostalgic gamers of a certain age!