Shin Ultraman Teaser Shows Off Classic Ultra Beam, Delayed To May 2022

It’s one thing to have revisit a classic movie icon, but to have it done by another icon?

After COVID-19 delayed the second of Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s Shin trilogy, the studio has released a short teaser of Ultraman in action, with his classic Ultra Beam.

Shin, which means new in Japanese, is Anno’s take on three classic Japanese characters. In 2016, he co-directed Shin Godzilla with Shinji Higuchi, and in this follow-up, Shin Ultraman, Higuchi is directing while Anno is pulling writing and producing duties. Shin Kamen Rider is slated for release in 2023. 

While a trailer was released at the start of the year, it has since been pulled. This new teaser basically shows off Ultraman pulling his classic Ultra Beam. 

Like Power Rangers and Kamen Riders, Ultraman is not a name always in reference to one character, but a collective name for a host of different characters who have taken on the mantle. There have been a slew of Ultraman characters but this particular movie refers to the second Ultra series which sees the debut of the first Ultraman, also known as the original Ultraman.

The teaser shows Ultraman take on his Specium Ray stance, with the Ultra Beam. In this version, Anno will be using CGI to depict both the iconic space hero, as well as the various creatures and monsters. In the classic TV show, the series placed actors and stuntmen in rubber suits, with folks and zippers present in the costume. As audiences can see, this version of Ultraman looks rather clean.

Fans have been anticipating this reimagining of the classic Japanese hero, which has been delayed by close to two years, for a take that emphasises the inhuman and alien nature of Ultraman, instead of its human host. 

In the series, the alien Ultraman merges with a human and turns to defending Earth against aliens and monsters.