Kore-eda Directed An “Ultraman” Doco

Celebrated filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda has reportedly directed a documentary titled “The Origin of Ultraman” according to Reiwa Kaiju Chronicles.

The feature reportedly explores the legendary character and franchise that began in 1966 and continues to this day – the doco coming in time for the 60th anniversary.

Filmmakers Guillermo del Toro, Hideo Kojima, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi are apparently involved in on-screen interviews for the film and talk about their own perspectives on the character.

The work approaches the question of “what is Ultraman?” and is scheduled to release somewhere on Friday, July 3rd (presumably Japan).

The original 1960s series followed a scientific team investigating and combating threats from aliens and kaiju. Unbeknownst to them, a member of the team possesses the ability to transform into the giant alien superhero Ultraman in moments of crisis.

In its time, the “Ultraman” franchise has yielded dozens of shows, movies, games and specials and still garners tens of millions in toys and merchandise alone every year.

Ultraman was the world’s third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia, and is still one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.