Hideaki Anno will supervise the production of Shin Complete Thunderbirds, a new remaster of the "digest" movie that Anno edited in 1985.
As reported by the PR Times, the Neon Genesis Evangelion creator and director will oversee the new remastering of Thunderbirds Complete, which was originally released in Japan in 1985. Thunderbirds Complete is a compilation film produced for Japanese audiences that recuts footage from the classic 1965 Thunderbirds puppet series into a single movie. Anno, then age 25, edited the movie in his first role as a professional editor. The original materials for the film were recently discovered in a warehouse, and now Anno will personally supervise the HD remastering of the compilation movie. "Shin" was added to the movie's title to differentiate it from the original release, and to maintain the naming convention that Anno uses when he works on other studio's properties, such as 2017's Shin Godzilla and his upcoming Shin Kamen Rider movie.
Shin Complete Thunderbirds will air on Japanese TV in 2022. No details about an international release for the project have been announced at this time.
Thunderbirds was originally created by Gerry and Silvia Anderson in 1965. The series tells the story of International Rescue, an emergency response company that utilizes the titular Thunderbirds, a team of high-tech vehicles and their pilots, to rescue people from any kind of disaster. Despite ending after just 36 episodes due to a loss in funding, the show has maintained a dedicated cult-following in the decades after it aired thanks to its unique presentation and tense storytelling. The series was imported from the United Kingdom to over 30 countries, including Japan, where it was localized in the 1980s under the title Kagaku Kyujotai Techno Voyager.
In addition to Shin Complete Thunderbirds, Anno is also directing the upcoming Shin Kamen Rider, a theatrical reboot of Toei's beloved tokusatsu series. Sousuke Ikematsu, who previously appeared alongside Tom Cruise in 2003's The Last Samurai and also starred in the Japanese live-action adaptations of Death Note, will play the rebooted version of Takeshi Hongo, the first man to transform into the masked, cybernetic warrior known as Kamen Rider. Minami Hamabe, who previously played the role of Yumeko Jabami in the live-action adaptations of Kakegurui, will play the role of Ruriko Midorikawa, the daughter of the scientist who helped Hongo escape from the vile experiment that transformed him into a cyborg. Shin Kamen Rider is scheduled to be released in Japan in 2023, and Anno has stated that he plans to make more live-action films following its release.
Source: PR Times
