With the cinematic masterpiece Akira and the iconic Steamboy already under his belt, director Katsuhiro Otomo has recently unveiled that a new film is currently in the works.
Announced at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, the new movie Orbital Era will be made with production house Sunrise. The upcoming project will mark the third feature-length flick under the director’s filmography after the aforementioned classics. The panel discussions stated that the story will be an action-adventure sci-fi set in space, revolving around coming-of-age youths that live on a space colony that’s under construction. Other comments from the panel disclosed that the main character will be an American and that the story will be more grounded in fantasy as opposed to real science. Otomo will be writing the screenplay and directing the film.
On another note, the panels also revealed that publisher Kodansha is currently working on The Complete Works Project with Otomo, a feature that showcases a collection of all the director’s published work since 1971. Otomo mentioned that he anticipates feeling a bit embarrassed by his earlier works but is nevertheless thrilled to see the project come to fruition.
Check out the teaser above for a slight glimpse of some of the artwork in Orbital Era.
In other related news, Funimation will be releasing a version of the red leather jacket from Akira.
大友克洋監督最新作映画『ORBITAL ERA』が制作決定！
『AKIRA』、『スチームボーイ』に続く長編アニメーション作品です。
ぜひご期待下さい！https://t.co/IggAq3QZgK pic.twitter.com/UziJdnOVO5— 映画「ORBITAL ERA」公式 (@OrbitalEra) July 5, 2019
映画「ORBITAL ERA」の制作発表は、大友監督が登壇したAnime Expo 2019で行われました。
その他「OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS」プロジェクトや1988年公開の「AKIRA」４Kリマスター版、「AKIRA」新アニメ化プロジェクトが発表されました。 #ORBITALERA #AKIRA pic.twitter.com/qwyj2rK4IZ— 映画「ORBITAL ERA」公式 (@OrbitalEra) July 5, 2019