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Tsuburaya have announced that they are going to create a big-budget movie adaptation of the original Ultraman TV series called Shin Ultraman. They have recruited Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, the duo that directed Shin Godzilla. Anno will write and produce, while Higuchi will direct.
Hideaki Anno is best known as the creator and director of the Evangelion series and movies, as well as being one of the original four founders of the animation studio Gainax. He is well-known for his love of toku, making an Ultraman fan film in college and citing the franchise as one of the main influences on Evangelion.
Shinji Higuchi was also a founding member of Gainax, and acted as a writer and storyboard creator on Evangelion. However he also branched out into tokusatsu, being the special effects director for the 90s Heisei Gamera series as well as creating his own original toku films.
Actors Takumi Saito (Ace Attorney, Shin Godzilla), Masami Nagasawa (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, Gintama), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (The Wind Rises) have all been connected with the film, but this has not yet been officially confirmed.
The movie is official a co-production between Tsuburaya, Toho (who will act as distributor), and Anno's new animation studio Khara. Anno is not expected to fully join up with the project until after he has finished the upcoming movie 'EVANGELION 3.0 + 1.0', but it is known that he has already submitted at least one draft and the film is currently slated for release in 2021.