After juggling multiple TV and movie franchises including his own Neon Genesis Evangelion over three decades, Hideaki Anno announced he will be taking a break.
As the Anime News Network reports, Anno told audiences at a recent promotion event for his latest film Shin Kamen Rider that “nothing about my next work has been decided yet.” He went on to say, “For the first time in over 30 years, my future is a blank slate. I’ve worked so much that I want to take a break.”
However, he suggested the break might not be a long one. Asked about a potential sequel to Shin Kamen Rider, Anno said, “Realistically speaking, I’m wiped clean right now, but I do still have my ideas. That’s if people say they want a sequel.” Additionally, Anno shared some of his ideas for the hypothetical film. They involve the Japanese government and the evil ‘Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling’ (SHOCKER) from the first film. The writer/director even suggested a title: Shin Kamen Rider: Masker World.
Hideaki Anno’s Legacy
Anno is best known as the creator of the long-running anime franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion, which started airing as a television series in 1995 and became a worldwide cult hit despite a troubled production history and a controversial ending. It has since been expanded by several TV specials and theatrical films. The most recent one, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, came out in 2021. It concludes the story of the four-movie arc Rebuild of Evangelion. All four films were co-directed and written by Anno.
Apart from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Shin Kamen Rider, Anno has also been the driving force behind the cinematic relaunches of the Godzilla and Ultraman franchises. He wrote and directed 2016’s Shin Godzilla, which became the highest-grossing Japanese-produced film in the franchise. He served as a writer and producer on Shin Ultraman (2022), which also became the highest-grossing film in its franchise, although it still fell short of the studio’s expectations.
The original TV anime Neon Genesis Evangelion is currently streaming on Netflix. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time and its predecessors are available on Prime Video.
Source: Anime News Network
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