Ultraman, the kaiju-fighting superhero, is getting his first cg-animated feature, 55 years after first appearing on Japanese tv screens. The film is in development at Netflix.
In a new storyline, baseball star Ken Sato picks up the mantle of Ultraman, only to end up having to raise a kaiju (monster) baby. On top of the challenge of being a father, Sato also has to contend with his own estranged father and the conniving Kaiju Defense Force.
Netflix will produce the film with Tsuburaya Productions, which owns the franchise. Industrial Light & Magic will provide the animation. The director is Shannon Tindle, an Emmy-winning designer, story artist, and filmmaker who created Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings, and is writing and executive-producing Netflix’s upcoming Lost Ollie. The Ultraman film will be his feature directorial debut.