Netflix is set to overhaul a true giant in the realm of science fiction action– ‘Ultraman’. ‘Ultraman’ was a Japanese Tokusatsu series, in which a scientist could transform into a towering superhero whose mission was to defend Earth from invading Kaiju. The series was an instant hit in its native country when it arrived in 1966 and new versions have appeared in countless live action and animated TV series, theatrical movies, direct-to-video projects and other adaptations, like manga and video games. Some version of ‘Ultraman’ was one of the first Tokusatsu programs — where guys in rubber suits pretended to be giants, trashing tiny toy “villages” during their battles.
Netflix’s series, however, will not be live action, but anime. The new series will be directed by Kenji Kamiyama (‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’) and Shinji Aramaki (‘Appleseed’, ‘Harlock: Space Pirate’). The new ‘Ultraman’ will be produced by I.G. and Sola Digital Arts.
Viz Media publishes the current ‘Ultraman’ manga in North America, and this is their description of that series:
Decades ago, a being known as the Giant of Light joined Shin Hayata of the Scientific Special
Search Party to save Earth from an invasion of terrifying monsters known as Kaiju. Now,
many years later, those dark days are fading into memory, and the world is at peace. But
in the shadows a new threat is growing, a danger that can only be faced by a new kind of
hero – a new kind of Ultraman…Shinjiro is an ordinary teenager, but his father is the
legendary Shin Hayata. When he learns that his father passed on the “Ultraman Factor”
to him, and that he possesses incredible powers, nothing will ever be the same again.
It was in the latest collection of this manga that the Netflix animated series was announced. The series will be released worldwide in spring of 2019.
Source: Anime News Network
