Shin Ultraman

"Have you become so fond of humans, Ultraman?"

- Tagline

Shin Ultraman シン・ウルトラマン (Shin Urutoraman) is an upcoming Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film to be co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Toho, and khara, Inc. A successor to Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno's previous tokusatsu endeavor, Shin Godzilla, it will serve as a film adaptation of the 1966 series, Ultraman. Initially scheduled to be released to Japanese theaters in the summer of 2021, the film is currently undated.

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. The film will star Takumi Saito, Masami Nagasawa, and Hidetoshi Nishijima. 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. 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." On September 25, ten additional cast members were revealed, including names such as Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, and Tetsushi Tanaka.

Production
A casting call for the film was posted on August 20, with filming set to begin sometime in the fall of 2019. Shinji Higuchi made a surprise appearance at the 2nd Atami Kaiju Film Festival on November 23, announcing that shooting of the film had concluded.

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. 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. On January 28, 2021, a teaser trailer, featuring first looks at veteran kaiju Neronga and Gabora, was released.

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."

Monsters

 * Ultraman
 * Neronga
 * Gabora

Weapons, vehicles, and races

 * Type 87 ARV
 * Type 82 Command and Communication Vehicle

Alternate titles

 * Shin Ultraman: A Special Effects Fantasy Film シン・ウルトラマン空想特撮映画 (Shin Urutoraman Kūsō Tokusatsu Eiga)
 * Ultraman (English logo title)

Trivia

 * 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.
 * Hideaki Anno is a longtime fan of the Ultraman franchise, and previously created and starred in a 1983 parody of Tsuburaya Productions' Return of Ultraman.
 * The film's tagline was spoken by Zoffy in the final episode of Ultraman.
 * Models of FAB 1 and Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbirds appear in the background of a shot of Daiki Arioka's character. The show influenced Ultraseven and subsequent entries in the Ultra Series.