Ultraman is one of the world’s most popular superheroes. But in the United States, it is more a cult classic. Netflix is betting it can change that. They are teaming up with Tsuburaya Productions to develop a brand new CG animated film featuring Japan’s Kaiju busting superstar.
The story will follow Ken Sato. Sato, a baseball star, returns to Japan and becomes the newest Ultraman. But things don’t go as planned. Sato will find himself trying to rescue a young Kaiju, a creature born of the giant monsters he normally would fight. It is an act that puts him at odds with the world protecting Kaiju Defense Force.
The feature will be directed by Shannon Tindle, who has worked on projects like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. He wrote the script originally as an homage to the Ultraman legacy, with Kubo scribe Marc Haimes. “Making this film is a dream come true,” Tindle says in a statement. “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.”
John Aoshima (DuckTales, Gravity Falls) co-directs. As of yet, no actors have been cast. Producers plan for a mix of Japanese and western stars. The animation, from Industrial Light and Magic, will not strictly be animé.
Ultraman, since it was created, has charmed many people around the world. And Shannon Tindle is one of those people. He was greatly influenced by Ultraman as a child, and he grew up to become a creator himself. I am delighted that families around the world will be able to watch Shannon and his team’s vision for Ultraman on Netflix and foster feelings of courage, hope, and kindness.
– Tsuburaya CEO and chairman Takayuki Tsukagoshi
Netflix will also produce an animated Ultraman series with partner Tsuburaya. This series will not be connected to the feature film, but rather, it will continue the classic stories from the original live-action Japanese TV show from the 1960s.
No details have been revealed about the upcoming series.
Source: Variety
