Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi tag team to make "Ultraman" into Shin! Production of the movie "Shin Ultraman" announced! Scheduled to be released in 2021

The national hero "Ultraman" will be adapted into a film titled "Shin Ultraman.

The film will be planned and written by Hideaki Anno, who himself professes to be a fan of the Ultraman series. The film will be directed by Higuchi Shinji, who has worked with Anno on numerous masterpieces, including "Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The duo, who won seven major awards at the 40th Japan Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for "Shin Godzilla," are now ready to tackle a new imaginary special effects film.

The main cast members have also been determined.
The main character, "the man who becomes Ultraman," will be played by Takumi Saito, who had a strong presence in "Shin Godzilla" despite his small role. Takumi Saito, who has appeared in a variety of films in a variety of genres and has played a wide range of characters from the orthodox to the monstrous, has been chosen to play the role of a new hero.
The role of the hero's sidekick is played by Masami Nagasawa, an actress who is indispensable in blockbusters. The cast also includes Hidetoshi Nishijima, who has a presence in a wide range of roles in many films, as well as a voice actor in "Detective Pikachu.

The full details of the film have yet to be revealed, and we look forward to more information. The film is scheduled to be released in 2021.

Comments from the staff and cast have been received, so here are some of them.

Here are the official comments

Tsuburaya Productions, Inc.

Ultraman", one of the early works that formed the foundation of Tsuburaya Productions, will be revived in the modern world. This long-loved work returns to the charm of its origins. I would like to work together with the planning and scriptwriter Hideaki Anno, director Shinji Higuchi, other production staff, cast members, and all related parties to make this project a work of entertainment of the highest caliber that will remain in the hearts of all people, young and old.

Minami Ichikawa, Managing Director, Production, Toho Co.

It is a great honor for us to be able to bring together the duo who worked on "Godzilla," Toho's most iconic character "Shin Godzilla" in 2016, again in the form of Mr. Anno, who planned and wrote the script, and Mr. Higuchi, who directed the film, to bring to the world "Ultraman," another iconic Japanese character. We would like to carry on the great culture that Japan is proud of into the new era. I look forward to your continued support.

Takumi Saito (37)

I am more than excited to have been chosen to play a major role in "Shin Ultraman," I am extremely excited about this grand project and the script that I have received.
I had the opportunity to meet the director Akio Jissoji before his death, and I now look back and think that everything I heard about Tsuburaya Productions and Ultraman in the early days was connected to "here".
I would like to devote my 37 years of experience to this film together with Mr. Anno and Director Higuchi, who both have special feelings for Ultraman, even though I am a young man.
I will work together with the reliable staff and co-stars to make "Shin Ultraman" a necessary work for today's Japan and for the future of Japan, and aim high.

Masami Nagasawa (32)

I am very honored to be able to appear in Mr. Anno's work, which is admired by everyone. I went to see "Shin Godzilla" at the theater, and I strongly felt the satisfaction and satisfaction of the audience there.
There are unexpected developments in this film, but I always do my best to live in the present moment. I hope my work will reach as many people as possible.

Hidetoshi Nishijima (48)

I still can't get over how surprised and excited I was when I heard that the team of "Shin Godzilla" would reunite to make a movie based on the world-famous "Ultraman.
And I feel very honored to be a part of that team.
I have read the script, and I am confident that it will be a first-class entertainment work that both fans and non-fans alike will enjoy. I will do my best to play a role as a member of the team that will breathe life into the world of "Ultraman as no one has ever seen him before" under the direction of Higuchi, who is working with me for the first time.

Director: Shinji Higuchi

I have been entrusted with a new baton, one that has been shining since I can remember.
I will solemnly do my best to pass on the dazzling and heavy baton that has been created and nurtured by my predecessors to the next generation.

Film Information
Shin Ultraman

Production: Tsuburaya Productions, Toho Co.
Production: Tsuburaya Productions, Toho, Color Co.
Production: Toho Pictures, Cine Bazar
Production Production Company: Toho Pictures, Cine Bazar

Release date: Scheduled for 2021 ©2021 "Shin Ultraman" Production Committee