The existence of Kaiju, giant unidentified lifeforms, has become commonplace in Japan. Designated as “S-Class Species” by the Japanese Government, these creatures have proven impervious to conventional weapons. Having exhausted all other options, the government issued the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol and gathered specialists to form an enforcement unit, known as the SSSP, to combat the evil beasts.
The members chosen for the unit are Team Leader Fumio Tamura (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), Executive Strategy Officer Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh), Unparticle Physicist Akihisa Taki (Daiki Arioka), and Universal Biologist Yume Funaberi (Akari Hayami).
As the threat of the S-Class Species worsens, a silver giant suddenly appears from beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Analyst Hiroko Asami (played by Masami Nagasawa) is newly appointed to the SSSP to deal with this giant and is partnered with Shinji Kaminaga.
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To be added.
Development
On August 1, 2019, Tsuburaya Productions announced that an Ultraman film helmed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno was in the works, produced in association with Toho and khara and set for a 2021 release. Anno had already completed the first draft of the script on February 5.[4] The film will star Takumi Saito, Masami Nagasawa, and Hidetoshi Nishijima.[5] A later report from Japanese news outlet Natalie, which featured comments from Higuchi, Saito, Nagasawa, Nishijima, Tsuburaya chairman Takayuki Tsukagoshi, and Toho president Minami Ichikawa, revealed Saito's role as Ultraman's human host, with Nagasawa playing his partner.[6] In his statement, Higuchi remarked that "A baton has been entrusted to me that has been shining ever since I was a small child. I will solemnly strive to fulfill my responsibility to pass on that heavy, radiant baton created by my seniors."[6][7] On September 25, ten additional cast members were revealed, including names such as Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, and Tetsushi Tanaka.[8]
Kenjiro Tsuda was announced as part of the cast on April 25, 2022, providing the voice of the "gaiseijin" Zarab.[9]
Production
A casting call for the film was posted on August 20, 2019, with filming set to begin sometime in the fall.[10]Shinji Higuchi made a surprise appearance at the 2nd Atami Kaiju Film Festival on November 23, announcing that shooting of the film had concluded.[11]
Marketing
Ultraman's design was revealed during the opening ceremony of Tsuburaya Convention 2019 on December 13. Though largely identical to the character's traditional look, it removed his Color Timer, reflecting Tohl Narita's original concept.[12] On November 2, 2020, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi showed off a new, much larger Ultraman statue outside the Sukagawa Archive Center, and confirmed a early summer release for the film.[13] A teaser trailer was released on January 28, 2021, featuring first looks at veteran kaiju Neronga and Gabora.
On March 26, Tsuburaya, Toho, and khara announced the film's release would be postponed from the summer of 2021 to an unspecified later date, citing "delays in the production schedule caused by COVID-19."[14] During Tsuburaya Convention 2021, Shin Ultraman's release date was revealed to be May 13, 2022. Additionally, a short teaser of Ultraman using his Specium Beam was unveiled. On March 16, 2022, a key poster and promotional banner were revealed. A third teaser trailer was released on April 15, with a longer preview playing exclusively in movie theaters and at the Hideaki Anno Exhibition at the Abeno Harukas Art Museum in Osaka.[15] The aforementioned extended trailer would later be released online on April 17.
A "special video" was released on April 22, featuring short behind-the-scenes clips as well as comments from select staff and cast members.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
On August 5, 2022, Tsuburaya Productions announced plans to release the films in "37 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa", as well as North America, South America, and Europe.[28]
Box office
Shin Ultraman debuted #1 at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥730 million in its opening weekend with a three-day total of ¥993 million.[29] By its third day of release, it had become the highest-grossing Ultraman film, surpassing Superior 8 Ultraman Brothers.[29] By the end of its fifth weekend, the film had grossed ¥3.53 billion.[2]
Takumi Saito and Shinji Higuchi reveal Ultraman maquettes at TsubuCon 2019
Red carpet event
Full television special
Kenshi Yonezu - M87 Music video
Kenshi Yonezu- M87 × Shin-Ultraman
VFX breakdown
Trivia
SPOILER WARNING: This section may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion.
Shin Ultraman marks the first Ultra Series film to be produced by Toho; the company previously provided theatrical distribution for a number of episodes and compilation movies of Ultra shows.
The film's first tagline was spoken by Zoffy in the final episode of Ultraman.
Models of FAB 1, Fireflash, The Mole and Thunderbird 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from Thunderbirds, in addition to a number of smaller models depicting the other Pod Vehicles from the series, appear in the background of a shot of Daiki Arioka's character. The show influenced Ultraseven and subsequent entries in the Ultra Series.
The designs for Pagos, Neronga, and Gabora all share traits, referencing the use of the original Baragon suit to portray them in Ultra Q and Ultraman.[32]
As was the case with Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman features an original score composed by Hideaki Anno's frequent collaborator Shiro Sagisu. Much like how Shin Godzilla featured extensive stock music from past Godzilla films composed by the late Akira Ifukube, who was credited as co-composer on the score, Shin Ultraman includes much of the late Kunio Miyauchi's score for the original Ultraman series. Miyauchi is even credited as the film's composer in front of Sagisu.
This is a list of references for Shin Ultraman. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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