Genndy Tartakovsky Reveals Black Knight Test Footage

Animator/auteur Genndy Tartakovsky has unleashed a stunning minute of test footage for Black Knight, an adult fantasy that’s been brewing in various forms for the past twenty years and now seems poised to stand or fall on how well it pre-sells to modern audiences.

By debuting the clip on Instagram, one of the minds behind Samurai Jack, Primal, and Hotel Transylvania is hoping to gauge enough demand for Sony Pictures Animation to consider the feature film worthy.

A Proof-of-Audience Gambit to Test Demand for Black Knight

Tartakovsky admitted that Black Knight has been in development for years, and the uncertainty surrounding its commercial prospects has slowed its path forward.

Posting test material is a calculated jump shot: It lets the fans directly signal appetite while giving the studio an empirical feel for engagement — views, comments and sentiment — as opposed to relying on theoretical comps.

Studios increasingly track these signals. Marketing teams put organic reach and volume of conversation on a par with traditional research, and groundswells can overturn risk assessments. It’s not a guarantee but it’s leverage — especially for a highbrow, animation mature-skewing film which is still something Hollywood tends to approach cautiously.

What the footage reveals about Black Knight’s scale and style

The testing sequence features a towering, roughly 20-foot suit of black armor that one critic described as a medieval “mech,” operated by ropes, pulleys and levers through which the knight inside commands it.

That design against a barren, period backdrop plays on scale and silhouette, with the clunky weight behind sword swings and metallic clanks of motion that read like real-world practical engineering.

An agile young woman in a mask and with chains leaps into the frame, and suddenly it is a kinetic match of mass versus agility. It is choreography that favors clarity over chaos, a Tartakovsky signature: silhouettes are always readable, the timing is never accidental and every action beat packs character. The clip suggests a larger world, one built on analog ingenuity rather than magic, and the fantasy realm feels fresh: It’s not all knights in shining armor.

Why Studios Drag Their Feet And What The Data Say

Adult-oriented animation has an established fandom, but theatrical track records are spotty. R-rated animated films are still relatively scarce, so comps are hard to come by. And there are exceptions, most significantly Sausage Party, which made around $141 million around the world according to Box Office Mojo, and anime features such as Demon Slayer: Mugen Train that have grossed more than $500 million globally, proving event-caliber animation for older audiences can work when concept and community collide just right.

On the small screen, demand is strong. Parrot Analytics has routinely placed adult animated series among the most in-demand titles worldwide, and Nielsen’s streaming charts frequently include grown-up animation in its weekly top tens. The void is theatrical daring, not audience presence: marketing is expensive and windows are cramped, families remain the dominant force at mainstream animation theaters.

Among Sony Pictures Animation’s biggest hits in the last few years are those that play to broader audiences — a world built around Spideys and the “Hotel Transylvania” franchise. An R-leaning medieval epic would be a tonal outlier, and that could either help or hurt. The test footage is intended to argue the latter point.

Tartakovsky’s track record matters for adult animation bets

On the other hand, Tartakovsky’s name is synonymous with brass-tacks visual storytelling and tightly choreographed action. Samurai Jack and Primal brought Emmys from the Television Academy, and Hotel Transylvania demonstrated that he can turn out audience-pleasing hits within a studio system. Not every passion project has crossed the finish line — his Popeye, for Sony, stalled after darling test footage leaked — but persistence and eventual pivots have paid off. His adult comedy feature Fixed was also released through a streaming partner after a studio changed course.

Black Knight looks, so far, the next big swing: a high-concept medieval action fable with tactile mechanics and low exposition. In other words, a project that argues heavily with its authorial voice — the very thing studios occasionally shrink from and filmgoers generally treasure when allowed to do so.

Let’s hear it for the fans driving greenlights with hype

That test footage pushing a greenlight? It’s been done before. Leaked proof-of-concept material for Deadpool begot the movie that won’t end, and a multi-year fan campaign helped propel a director’s cut of a superhero epic onto an extra-noticeable platform. Independent pilots in animation, such as “Hazbin Hotel,” amassed huge online followings that translated into series orders from major streamers. None of these is a perfect analog to Black Knight, but they illustrate how the visibility and persistence of enthusiasm can alter executive math.

What to watch next as Black Knight gauges real audience demand

Should the test clip generate significant reach and positive press pickup, Sony will have more tangible evidence that a theatrical constituency exists. Other alternate paths also exist — such as co-financing, limited runs to build word-of-mouth or a hybrid route with a streamer that champions adult animation and event-style rollouts. Festivals like Annecy or even genre markets have also turned into effective springboards for unique indie animated features looking to find partners and profile.

Right now, though, Tartakovsky has given some of the future of the project over to its potential audience. For Black Knight to ride, the studio will be paying attention to how loudly and how long fans beat the drum.