Godzilla and Kong have become incredibly popular recently, but not all giant monsters from Japan are enjoying the same success. Fortunately, despite not being connected to the Godzilla/Kong universe or the new Godzilla Minus One film, Ultraman is returning this summer. It won’t be a new movie that crosses over with the Godzilla world, but a special presentation to celebrate the character’s history, and a fantastic cast is lined up to pay tribute to the long-running hero.
A new documentary called The Origin of Ultraman will hit theaters in Japan on July 3rd. To promote the film, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the iconic character, a trailer has been released showcasing a variety of celebrities and filmmakers involved in the project. Since its debut in 1966, Ultraman has appeared in many forms, including movies, TV shows, comics, and video games. While it’s currently unknown if the documentary will be released in North America, it’s likely to become available in the U.S. somehow. You can watch the trailer below.
Ultraman’s Future
The celebrities and creative minds who are taking part in this documentary include:
- Guillermo del Toro (Film Director / Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water)
- Hirokazu Kore-eda (Film Director / Nobody Knows, Shoplifters, Monster)
- Hideo Kojima (Game Creator / Metal Gear series, Death Stranding series)
- Hideaki Anno (Director, Producer / Evangelion series, Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman)
- Shinji Higuchi (Film Director / Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, Bullet Train Explosion – 2025)
- Nicholas Winding Refn (Film Director / Drive, The Neon Demon)
- Shannon Tindall (Film Director / Ultraman: Rising)
- John Aoshima (Film Director / Ultraman: Rising)
- Kairi Narita (Son of Toru Narita, the art director for Ultraman)
- Pat Cadigan (Ultraman novelization – English edition)
I’ve been noticing Ultraman popping up in a lot of different projects lately, even though there hasn’t been an official announcement about a new movie. Recently, we got Ultraman: Rising on Netflix, which was a really interesting take on the character – it showed him as a father, something we hadn’t seen before. The director, Shannon Tindle, was keen to make a sequel, but he’s unfortunately confirmed that a second Rising film isn’t likely to happen.
The classic monster fighter got another fresh take with Shin Ultraman, a live-action movie by Hideaki Anno, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like recent versions of Godzilla and Kamen Rider, this Ultraman was a grittier, more serious portrayal. While the Shin series appears to be finished after Shin Kamen Rider, fans are still hoping to see more Ultraman adventures in the future.
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2026-05-14 19:16