'Ultraman'Is Making His Long-Awaited Return to the U.S.

One of the most iconic superheroes from Japan, Ultraman, is making his long-awaited return to the United States. On Thursday afternoon, William Winckler Productions announced its latest collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions to produce English dubs of three recent films in the Ultraman franchise: 2009’s Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends, 2010’s Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial, and 2012’s Ultraman Saga, all of which will have a limited theatrical run in American theaters.

A release date for all three movies are yet to be announced. However, the studio has announced the whole English dub cast, which include Paul Stanko, John Katona (My Crazy Ex), and Daniel Van Thomas (Red Dead Redemption).

This is actually the second occasion William Winckler Productions has imported Ultraman to the U.S. Earlier this year, the studio released English dubs of Ultraman X and Ultraman Ginga S as a double feature in theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Separately, the 2016 TV series Ultraman Orb was simulcast on Crunchyroll for both Japanese and western audiences.

Still, nostalgic and hardcore fans will be excited to see Ultraman and his universe back in the U.S. and on the big screen. The original 1966 Ultraman series was a cult-hit in the United States (actor Will Smith has said in numerous interviews that he grew up a fan). In 2002, the TV series Ultraman Tiga aired on Fox dubbed in English. Since then, outside of DVD releases, Ultraman has made few significant appearances on this side of the Pacific.

No release dates for the English dubs of Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends, Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial, and Ultraman Saga have been announced.