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Toho Co., Ltd. has provided press materials for the Japanese release of POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU (名探偵ピカチュウ, Meitantei Pikachū). They will open the film in Japan on Friday, May 3; one week ahead of the international release from Warner Bros. Pictures, and the Chinese launch from Legendary East. Continued…
20th Century Fox Japan has provided a trailer, poster art, high-res photos and logo for the Japanese release of ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (Japanese title — アリータ：バトル・エンジェル, Arīta: Batoru Enjeru). Produced by James Cameron (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, TITANIC, AVATAR) and directed by Robert Rodriguez (DESPERADO, SIN CITY), the movie is based on the science fiction manga series Battle Angel Alita (銃夢, Gunnm). Continued…
12 Months of Exclusive Content Direct From Studios and Distributors!
Author: Keith Aiken
SciFi Japan is proud to remain the one and ONLY English language website devoted to Japanese fantasy films and TV that is officially press registered with all five major Japanese studios (Toho, Toei, Shochiku, Nikkatsu and Kadokawa), several Japanese production companies, plus their distributors and licensees. While other sites will run information and images taken from Japanese news sources and publications, SciFi Japan regularly posts content provided directly to us by the companies and people making and releasing Japanese movies, programs and merchandise. This allows us to present our readers with accurate, verified information rather than rumors and speculation, and also run larger and higher quality photos and artwork than can be found elsewhere. Continued…
The 2018 LA Comic Con included a panel by Legendary Pictures to promote its comic book tie-ins for the MonsterVerse series, which includes the films GODZILLA (2014), KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) and the upcoming GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS. The panel featured five panelists — moderator Robert Napton, Barnaby Legg, George Tew, Drew Johnson, and Jann Jones. Continued…
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
#DetectivePikachuMovie
The world of Pokémon comes to life!
The first-ever live-action Pokémon adventure, POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU stars Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, the iconic face of the global Pokémon phenomenon — one of the world’s most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and the most successful media franchise of all time. Continued…
Product Info and Exclusive GIANT High-Res Photos, Direct from X-Plus!
Source: X-Plus Co., Ltd.
Special Thanks to Shingo Fujimoto
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
The Japanese collectibles company X-Plus Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and giant, high-res photos of their DefoReal Series figures based on the 2017 movie, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, courtesy of X-Plus’ Hong Kong-based subsidiary, Star Ace Toys, Ltd. The DefoReal line combines the cute “Super Deformed” figure style (known for large heads, squat, chubby bodies and stubby limbs) with more realistic features. Continued…
Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment, ddPR
Special Thanks to Danny Duran
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection on Blu-ray. Featuring unforgettable make-up, ground-breaking special effects and outstanding performances, the boxed set includes all Universal Pictures’ legendary monsters from the studio that pioneered the horror genre with imaginative and technically groundbreaking tales of terror in unforgettable films from the 1930s to late-1950s. Continued…
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures press release
Official Site: godzillamovie.com
#GodzillaMovie
Following the global success of GODZILLA and KONG: SKULL ISLAND comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse: GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history. Continued…
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Combo Pack of Steven Spielberg’s action adventure READY PLAYER ONE.
Based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, READY PLAYER ONE stars Tye Sheridan (X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, MUD), Olivia Cooke (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, TV’s BATES MOTEL) and Ben Mendelsohn (ROGUE ONE – A STAR WARS STORY, TV’s BLOODLINE). Continued…
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital Combo Pack of RAMPAGE. Global icon Dwayne Johnson headlines the action adventure as a primatologist trying to stop gigantic mutated creatures.
Directed by Brad Peyton, RAMPAGE also stars Oscar nominee Naomie Harris (MOONLIGHT), Malin Akerman (TV’s BILLIONS), Jake Lacy (TV’s GIRLS), Joe Manganiello (TV’s TRUE BLOOD), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (TV’s THE WALKING DEAD); as well as P.J. Byrne (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET), Marley Shelton (TV’s RISE), Breanne Hill (TV’s FRONTIER), Jack Quaid (THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE), Matt Gerald (TV’s DAREDEVIL), Jason Liles (DEATH NOTE), Demetrius Grosse (TV’s THE BRAVE), and Will Yun Lee (TV’s HAWAII FIVE-O). Continued…
Multi-platform Animated Juggernaut to be Translated into Live-Action Film for the First Time
Source: Source: Legendary Entertainment press release
Special Thanks to Sheana Knighton
Legendary and Sunrise announced today at Anime Expo 2018, plans to co-produce the first-ever live-action feature film version of GUNDAM, based on Sunrise’s massively popular Mecha anime and science fiction media franchise. The billion dollar property was created in 1979 and has spawned a multi-platform universe encompassing televised anime, manga, animated films, video games, plastic models, toys, and novels among other media. GUNDAM continues to dominate master toy licensee Bandai Namco’s earnings almost forty years after its inception. Continued…
Being a fan of certain genres can sometimes be a full-time endeavor. When people get really serious about their interests, then activities elevate beyond just watching movies or starting collections. Many start writing about or reviewing films/TV. Others get to a position where they can author books. It is special though, when you can actually create a film within the genre you love. This is something that Avery Guerra is endeavoring to do now. Here is his story, including information about how other fans can help make this dream come true. Continued…
Own it Early on Digital on June 26; 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray debuts on July 17
Source: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment press release
Special Thanks to Tyler Robinson
Watch an unshakeable bond form between an extraordinarily intelligent gorilla and noteworthy primatologist when RAMPAGE arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital. Continued…
Own it early on Digital HD on July 3, Blu-ray debuts on July 24
Source: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment press release
Special Thanks to Tyler Robinson
Join an immersive virtual universe when READY PLAYER ONE arrives on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. From Warner Bros. Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures, along with filmmaker Steven Spielberg, comes the action adventure READY PLAYER ONE, based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. Continued…
Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Official Site: pacificrimmovie.com
#JoinTheUprising #PacificRimUprising
Special Thanks to Jennifer Zurita and Evan Fong
PACIFIC RIM UPRISING arrives on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on June 19, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Earlier this month, SciFi Japan posted cover artwork and product specs for the standard home video releases of the film. Now, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has provided details on the retailer exclusive editions. Continued…
Source: Fantasia Festival press release
Special Thanks to Ted Geoghegan
The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in Montreal from July 12-August 1, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum. Its Frontières International Co-Production Market and Industry Rendez-Vous Weekend will be held July 19-22. Continued…
Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Think Jam press release
Official Site: pacificrimmovie.com
#JoinTheUprising #PacificRimUprising
Special Thanks to Geovani Rocha
Ten years after the events of PACIFIC RIM, the Kaiju return in PACIFIC RIM UPRISING with a new deadly threat that reignites the conflict between these otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and Jaegers, the human-piloted super-machines that were built to vanquish them.
PACIFIC RIM UPRISING arrives on Digital and the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on June 5, 2018, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on June 19, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Building on the striking visual world created in the first film, PACIFIC RIM UPRISING features a next-generation battleground complete with upgraded Jaegers and new Kaiju that offers a captivating a state-of-the-art spectacle perfect for your next night in. Experience one-of-a-kind special effects and more than forty minutes of bonus content when you own the next installment on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD. Continued…
SciFi Japan is pleased to share Japanese publicity materials and photos for PACIFIC RIM UPRISING, courtesy of Universal Pictures International and Toho-Towa, the film’s theatrical distributor in Japan. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from an upcoming movie.
Global icon Dwayne Johnson headlines the action adventure RAMPAGE, directed by Brad Peyton.
Johnson stars as primatologist Davis Okoye, a man who keeps people at a distance but shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, incredibly rare albino silverback gorilla who has been in his care since he rescued the young orphan from poachers. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. Continued…
Warner Bros. Pictures Japan has provided a trailer, poster art, high-res photos and logo for the Japanese release of RAMPAGE. The film’s Japanese title — ランペイジ 巨獣大乱闘 (Ranpeiji Kyoju Dairantou) — translates to “Rampage: Behemoth Brawl”.
Directed by Brad Peyton, the action adventure global megastar Dwayne Johnson as primatologist Davis Okoye. A man who keeps people at a distance, Okoye shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend. Continued…
Acclaimed, Horrifying Battle for Survival from Director of VERSUS and GODZILLA: FINAL WARS
Source: Shudder press release
Special Thanks to Ted Geoghegan
DOWNRANGE — the terrifying, dark new thriller from acclaimed genre director Ryuhei Kitamura (THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, VERSUS, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS) — lands exclusively on Shudder April 26th.
Six college students are carpooling cross-country when one of their tires blows out on a desolate stretch of country road. Getting out to fix the flat, they quickly discover that this was no accident. The tire was shot out. With their vehicle incapacitated, the group is pinned down and mercilessly attacked by an unseen assailant as they desperately attempt to find a way to escape.
Produced by Kitamura and ELEVEN ARTS’ Ko Mori (LORDS OF CHAOS, MAN FROM RENO), the film is executive produced by Taro Maki (IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD). The screenplay is by Joey O’Bryan (MOTORWAY, FULLTIME KILLER), with story by O’Bryan and Kitamura. Continued…
Visit Bluefin during WonderCon 2018 at Booth #1037
Source: Bluefin Corp., MediaLab press release
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen
Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan and Asia, heads to Anaheim, CA for WonderCon to showcase a wide variety of upcoming products and also offer a selection of items for purchase. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article previews an upcoming movie.
Universal Pictures has provided PACIFIC RIM UPRISING cast interviews from the film’s press junket. A Legendary Pictures/DDY production, the sequel to 2013’s PACIFIC RIM opens in theaters this Friday, March 23, 2018. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article previews an upcoming movie.
Universal Pictures has provided a trailer and promotional videos for PACIFIC RIM UPRISING. A Legendary Pictures/DDY production, the sequel to 2013’s PACIFIC RIM opens in theaters on March 23, 2018. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article previews an upcoming movie.
Universal Pictures has provided short video interviews with the director and 10 members of the cast of PACIFIC RIM UPRISING. A Legendary Pictures/DDY production, the sequel to 2013’s PACIFIC RIM opens in theaters on March 23, 2018. Continued…
Publisher McFarland & Company, Inc. is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a copy of the book Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951–1967 from author Mike Bogue (G-FAN, Scary Monsters Magazine).
The United States, the only country to have dropped the bomb, and Japan, the only one to have suffered its devastation, understandably portray the nuclear threat differently on film. American science fiction movies of the 1950s and 1960s generally proclaim that it is possible to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle. Japanese films of the same period assert that once freed the nuclear genie can never again be imprisoned. In this book, Bogue examines genre films from the two countries released between 1951 and 1967 — including GODZILLA (1954), THE MYSTERIANS (1957), THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957), ON THE BEACH (1959), THE LAST WAR (1961) and DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) — to show the view from both sides of the Pacific. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article previews an upcoming movie.
Universal Pictures has provided several clips from their new film, PACIFIC RIM UPRISING. A Legendary Pictures/DDY production, the sequel to 2013’s PACIFIC RIM is directed by Steven S. DeKnight and stars John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona, Max Zhang and Charlie Day. Continued…
Photos and Information for Upcoming “Mechs vs. Giant Monsters” Movie
Source: Universal Pictures , Legendary Pictures
Official Site: pacificrimmovie.com
#JoinTheUprising #PacificRimUprising
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from an upcoming movie.
The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in PACIFIC RIM UPRISING. Continued…
