Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto is an American animatic episode series by Jack Black and Kyle Gass as Tenacious D, released independently through the band's YouTube channel. In late November 2018, all of the episodes would be uploaded as one video as a "full movie". The soundtrack for the series was released as the band's fourth studio album, Post-Apocalypto by Columbia Records. The series will be released as a graphic novel by Fantagraphics Books in September 2020.
Production
In June 2012 when asked about a sequel to Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Black stated that the band had "found a loophole with the internet and animated shorts. That’s the world we’re looking to dive into, and not just for money, mainly for art." The band would mention later on in that year that they may make an Internet series "exclusive to YouTube."The project was a fantasy for Black and Gass for a few years, until the Donald Trump presidential campaign inspired them to start writing a post-apocalyptic comedy in 2016. The project was assembled by Black physically drawing each frame with markers and notepads, with longtime Tenacious D bassist and producer John Spiker scanning and digitalizing the images. Michael Molina would add color later on in the progress. In December 2017, whilst on Kerrang Radio promoting , Black stated that the title of the animated series would be called Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto. Black and Gass pitched the series to Netflix, HBO Go and Amazon Prime Video for distribution, but it was rejected. The series was ultimately released on YouTube, and revenue came mainly from the accompanying album.
Release
On May 6, 2018, during Tenacious D's performance at the Shaky Knees Music Festival, Black asked the audience if anyone had seen The Pick of Destiny, and that "part two is coming out in October. I don't know where you'll be able to see it, but we've decided it's happening and it's coming out. Rocktober". On May 15, 2018, the band updated their website and social media platforms with drawings from the series, as well as announcing a 2018 fall US tour through a tour trailer, and releasing new merchandise. On September 4, it was announced that the series would be released on YouTube, with the first episode coming out on September 28. A new episode was released every Friday from then until November 2, to mark the release of the Post-Apocalypto album and the subsequent tour. The series was screened at the LA Film Festival on September 24, the Fantastic Fest on September 25th, the L.A. Comic Con on October 26, across the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain on November 2 and at the Prince Charles Cinema in London on May 31, 2019. It was praised for it's commentary on toxic-masculinity & toxic-feminism, comedy, & music. The second episode was removed from YouTube shortly after being uploaded on October 5 for its sexual content. It was unblocked and had an age-restriction placed on it shortly after. The series was partially screened as part of the band's Post-Apocalypto Tour, which commenced on November 3, 2018 at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, and finished on February 26, 2020 at the Zénith Paris. All the episodes were edited into one video title "Post-Apocalypto: The Movie." It was uploaded on November 8, 2018.
