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“Kaiju No. 8” – Production Underway on New Season of Crunchyroll Series

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Kaiju no 8 sequel

Popular anime series “Kaiju No. 8” may have just concluded its inaugural season on Crunchyroll, and the streaming service announced over the weekend that production is already underway on a sequel season.

Crunchyroll will broadcast the series’ return in 200 territitories and countries worldwide, with broadcast information TBA.

Production I.G (Psycho-PassGhost in the Shell) animates the series, with kaiju artwork and design supervision by Studio Khara (Evangelion: New Theatrical EditionShin Godzilla (Pre Visualization Development)). The anime is adapted from the original manga created by Naoya Matsumoto.

The official synopsis: “In a world plagued by threatening creatures known as Kaiju, Kafka Hibino aspired to enlist in the Japan Defense Force to defeat them. Let’s wipe out the Kaiiju together. Kafka pledged to his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. Over time, life circumstances forced them to go their separate ways and caused him to abandon his lifelong ambition. He found himself employed by Monster Sweeper, Inc., a professional cleaning company that specializes in cleaning up the aftermath of Kaiju battles. Meanwhile, Mina Ashiro is now the Captain of the Defense Force’s 3rd Division. As it stands, he is currently unworthy of fighting Kaiju alongside her. At work, Kafka crosses paths with the highly motivated Reno Ichikawa. Reno’s undying determination to join the Defense Force leaves no room for failure. His perseverance reawakens Kafka’s ambition of standing next to Mina as they protect humanity from Kaiju together. A dream frozen by time, thawed by a burning promise.”

As for voice cast, Masaya Fukunishi voices Kafka Hibino/Kaiju No. 8, Wataru Katoh plays Reno Ichikawa, and Asami Seto voices Mina Ashiro.

The series is being directed by Shigeyuki Miya (director and character designer of Onihei; director of The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior) and Tomomi Kamiya (Yotsuiro Biyori). The series composition and screenplay were written by Ichiro Okouchi (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury;  story draft and series composition on Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion).

Additional staff includes chief animation direction and character design by Tetsuya Nishio (Naruto; Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG); Kaiju design by Mahiro Maeda (concept art and designer on Mad Max: Fury Road; Godzilla Image Designer on Shin Godzilla; Director and Concept Art Director on Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time); art direction by Shinji Kimura (Tekkonkinkreet; Blood Blockade Battlefront), cinematography by Eiji Arai (Kuroko’s Basketball; PSYCHO-PASS) editing by Aya Hida (Attack on Titan; 2019’s Fruits Basket), and music composed by Yuta Bandoh (Towako Omameda and Her Three Ex-husbands; BELLE).

The opening song “Abyss” is performed by YUNGBLUD and the ending song “Nobody” is performed by OneRepublic.

Watch the sequel seies announcement teaser below.

 

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

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Prime Video’s “Blade Runner 2099” TV Series Expands Cast List

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Blade Runner 2099
pictured: 'Blade Runner 2049'

Seven years after Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049Blade Runner is headed to the small screen in Amazon’s upcoming Blade Runner 2099, and Deadline reports this morning that the cast list is growing.

Dimitri Abold (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), Katelyn Rose Downey (The Nun II), and Daniel Rigby (Renegade Nell) are joining previously announced cast members Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo).

Johnny Harris (A Gentleman in Moscow“), Amy Lennox (Only Child), Sheila Atim (The Woman King), and Matthew Needham (House of the Dragon) join as recurring guest stars.

Of course, no character or plot details have been revealed at this time, but production is underway, so expect more news to follow in the coming months. Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) is executive producing the live action television series, with Blade Runner 2099 said to be a follow-up to the events of film sequel Blade Runner 2049.

“The latest installment of the neo-noir sci-fi franchise will be set 50 years after the sequel.”

Blade Runner 2099 comes from Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free, and Amazon Studios. Silka Luisa (“Shining Girls”) is writing, showrunning, and executive producing.

Jonathan van Tulleken (“Shōgun”) will direct and executive produce the first two episodes.

“The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” Amazon Studios’ Vernon Sanders recently said.

The show marks Alcon’s first TV series in the Blade Runner universe since it acquired film, television and ancillary rights to produce prequels and sequels to the 1982 science-fiction thriller Blade Runner in 2011. Since then, it has financed and produced Blade Runner 2049.

Alcon Entertainment co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Alcon’s President of Television Ben Roberts, David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger from Scott Free Productions, Tom Spezialy, Richard Sharkey, Michael Green, Cynthia Yorkin, Frank Giustra, and Isa Dick Hackett produce.

Stay tuned for more on “Blade Runner 2099” as additional details arrive.

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