:anime: This Ain't April Fools! New Evangelion on the Way!

[Unconfirmed (though now confirmed, see below) report from Anime News Service, though it is not out of the realm of possibility, considering next week's supposedly big Eva scoop in the Newtype Japan magazine. Either way, new Eva is on the way.]

What is sure to shock many (or not some at all), Hideki Anno & GAINAX announced a new four-part film series of the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion. An interview of sorts with one of the producers (the unconfirmed part) yields some information on them, in which they will be "quite different" from the content of the original, will nonetheless take place in the same timeline. It will feature newer animation (though lacking the rapid word splice-ins from the series) and can be accessible to both fans and those unfamiliar with Eva (it will be a "remake" yet also a "new work"). Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban, as it will be called, it will apparently also serve as "an antithesis to current animation industry segments,” which I take means that it will use either different animation techniques or it will be told in a way unlike most anime productions. In short, this sounds a lot like the Girlfriend of Steel-ish Evangelion stories that GAINAX has been pumping out for a while, which basically are alternative storylines that had more of a school/teen comedy flavor. That might not be the news that some fans were expecting (like a sequel concerning End of Evangelion would have been so exciting :P ), but fans of those stories might be welcoming this with open arms, pending that this actually true.

UPDATE: It appears that Newtype Japan did make good on its promise with this information, as ANS confirmed its truth with scans from the magazine feature.

UPDATE 2: [9/7/06] Looks as if Anime News Network has posted some extra info on the project, complete with format layout, as well as saying that it is not a remake (Either way it is, old will be new again). On an interesting note, Kazuya Tsurumaki, of FLCL fame and director of the sequel to Anno's Gunbuster, will helm this Anno-originated work. It seems that he holds much trust in the eyes of the legendary director to allow him to create sequels to two of his most famous and revered works. And considering the good job he did with Diebuster, I can see why (not to mention, he also directed the Rebirth part of the Death & Rebirth Eva movie).