Evangelion creator given “high degree of freedom” to make new Space Battleship Yamato movie 

Earlier this month, Hideki Anno revealed at a special event to mark the 50^th anniversary of the classic anime Space Battleship Yamato that he is working on a new feature film adaptation of the franchise (source: Oricon). In an extended statement published on the website of Anno’s Studio Khara on October 13, the Neon Genesis Evangelion creator gave fans bigger hints as to what they can expect from his version. 

Space Battleship Yamato started out as an anime TV series that originally ran for 26 episodes between 1974-1975. The tragic sci-fi drama depicting an intergalactic war was highly influential and would go on to influence many later anime including the Macross series and Anno’s own Neon Genesis Evangelion. Since then, Space Battleship Yamato has received various movie and TV sequels and numerous spinoffs. Many of these are set in alternate timelines or are different takes on the story. 

In the 2010s, Space Battleship Yamato experienced a series of revivals, starting with 2012’s Yamato 2199, which is a remake of the original 1974 series. The most recent film in this remake series is Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 Part 2, which is hitting Japanese theaters in November. However, Anno has revealed that his upcoming Yamato film will follow a completely different path to this remake series. 

Referencing Space Battleship Yamato, as well as various other TV series from his childhood with multiple timelines and interpretations (such as Kamen Rider and Ultraman), Anno states “The existence of multiple, overlapping versions of the same work is something I have accepted as par the course ever since I was a child.” He explains that his version of Space Battleship Yamato will be another fresh take, which will blend an interesting mixture of old and the new, paying respect and gratitude to all the staff and voice actors that have been involved in Space Battleship Yamato so far. “Thanks to the various companies involved, I have been given a relatively high degree of freedom to make this new Yamato.” Anno revealed. 

In the initial announcement (reported on by Oricon), Anno expressed his strong reverence for the series: “If I had not come across Space Battleship Yamato 50 years ago, I wouldn’t be who I am today.” With such a legacy to follow, however, Anno emphasizes that he has bigger goals for this movie than just making his 13-year-old self’s dreams come true: “I am striving to create Yamato works that have a high chance of enabling the franchise to reach its 100^th anniversary.” This also hints that Anno is intending to make more than one Yamato feature, if the first one is well received. 

The untitled feature film is currently in the planning stage, with production work due to start in 2025, so fans of Space Battleship Yamato will have to wait a while to see Hideaki Anno’s take on the classic franchise.