While Ultraman has been big in Japan for over five decades, the kaiju-slaying, silver-suited hero has never managed to reach the same level of success here in North America. Now Netflix is hoping to change that.
The streaming giant has announced it's partnering with Tsuburaya Productions to reboot Ultraman with a new CG-animated film. The newly announced project will serve as the directorial debut from Shannon Tindle, an animator who's worked on such films as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, Variety reports.
Netflix's Ultraman will feature a script written by Tindle and Kubo screenwriter Marc Haimes, with John Aoshima (DuckTales, Gravity Falls) serving as co-directer.
Netflix is already home to an animated Ultraman TV series, but the feature film will have a totally new storyline that promises to honour the character's past.
According to Variety, here's what we can expect:
The film will follow Ken Sato, a superstar baseball player who returns to Japan to become the latest hero to carry the mantle of Ultraman. His plans go awry, however, when he is compelled to raise a newborn kaiju monster — the offspring of his greatest enemy — as his own child. Sato will also have to contend with his relationship with his estranged father and the schemes of the Kaiju Defense Force.
In a statement, Tindle said, "Making this film is a dream come true. What began as an original story inspired by my love for Eiji Tsuburaya's Ultraman somehow became an actual Ultraman film thanks to the incredible trust of the team at Tsuburaya Productions, and the support of the folks at Netflix Animation. We've assembled an all-star team and I can't wait to share our unique take on Ultraman with the rest of the world."
So far, it's unclear when Netflix's new Ultraman film will arrive or who will be part of its cast, so stay tuned.
The streaming giant has announced it's partnering with Tsuburaya Productions to reboot Ultraman with a new CG-animated film. The newly announced project will serve as the directorial debut from Shannon Tindle, an animator who's worked on such films as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, Variety reports.
Netflix's Ultraman will feature a script written by Tindle and Kubo screenwriter Marc Haimes, with John Aoshima (DuckTales, Gravity Falls) serving as co-directer.
Netflix is already home to an animated Ultraman TV series, but the feature film will have a totally new storyline that promises to honour the character's past.
According to Variety, here's what we can expect:
The film will follow Ken Sato, a superstar baseball player who returns to Japan to become the latest hero to carry the mantle of Ultraman. His plans go awry, however, when he is compelled to raise a newborn kaiju monster — the offspring of his greatest enemy — as his own child. Sato will also have to contend with his relationship with his estranged father and the schemes of the Kaiju Defense Force.
In a statement, Tindle said, "Making this film is a dream come true. What began as an original story inspired by my love for Eiji Tsuburaya's Ultraman somehow became an actual Ultraman film thanks to the incredible trust of the team at Tsuburaya Productions, and the support of the folks at Netflix Animation. We've assembled an all-star team and I can't wait to share our unique take on Ultraman with the rest of the world."
So far, it's unclear when Netflix's new Ultraman film will arrive or who will be part of its cast, so stay tuned.