After years of delays, Japan will finally breathe new life into one of its most enduring tokusatsu creations next month. Tsuburaya Productions has unleashed a brand new trailer for Shin Ultraman, a modern update of the hero’s classic origin story. You can check it out for yourself below.
The trailer introduces Takumi Saitoh as the film’s leading man, Shinji Kaminaga, who uses his own Beta Capsule to transform into the title character. It’s only 30 seconds long, but the preview highlights several action-heavy sequences featuring new giant monsters and even a shot of Ultraman striking his famous specium ray pose. But since the film comes from the same team behind Shin Godzilla, we can also expect plenty of scenes filled with bickering government operatives. One of these agents will be played by Hidetoshi Nishijima, who cinephiles might recognize as the star of this year’s Best International Feature winner, Drive My Car.
Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno developed Shin Ultraman as the film’s director and screenwriter respectively. The two previously co-directed Shin Godzilla in 2016. Soon, they will also revitalize another Japanese tokusatsu property with Shin Kamen Rider, which hits theaters next year.
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The Ultraman brand has been around since 1966. But in the last few years alone, the franchise has picked up some new fans among U.S. audiences. Netflix finally premiered the second season of its CG-anime Ultraman series earlier this week. Plus, the streaming service is currently developing a new animated movie featuring the character. Marvel also released a five-issue limited series, The Rise of Ultraman, in 2020.
Shin Ultraman will hit Japanese theaters on May 13. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if there are any plans for a U.S. release.
What do you think of this latest preview for the film? Give us your impressions in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Ultraman Vol. 1
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