It was revealed on November 1st that a new installment of the popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO, will be produced. The announcement was made at a stage greeting for a special edition of the film version of the series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM, held on the same day at Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (Toshima Ward, Tokyo).
The stage greeting was attended by Soichiro Hoshi, who plays Kira Yamato, Director Mitsuo Fukuda, and Producer Naka Hisakazu of Bandai Namco Filmworks. Director Fukuda expressed his gratitude for the production of SEED FREEDOM ZERO, saying, "I'm happy to be able to make the next work. If it hadn't been a hit, it would have been shelved. I think it's all thanks to everyone. Thank you."
According to Director Fukuda, the story will be a "follow-up" to "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY," and a prequel to "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM." He revealed, "My work is almost done. That's because I made it 20 years ago. As a project, I was offered to make the movie (SEED FREEDOM) with a plot similar to that of MSV. The script was done. About half the storyboards are done. The oldest storyboard is from 20 years ago. It's not a digression, but it's a story that takes a breather."
According to Producer Naka, "SEED FREEDOM ZERO" was originally planned as an OVA (original video animation), but the medium is currently "undecided."
The "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" series' "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" aired from October 2002 to September 2003, and its sequel, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY," aired from October 2004 to October 2005. "SEED FREEDOM" is a sequel to "SEED DESTINY," and Director Fukuda and other staff from the TV anime have reunited. The movie version was announced in 2006, but there was no news about it for a long time. It was released about 18 years after the announcement.
"SEED FREEDOM" was released on January 26th and had a long run of about 4 months, and it has been a hot topic that it has broken the all-time record of the highest box office revenue of the "Gundam" movie series in about 42 years, surpassing the box office revenue of about 2.3 billion yen recorded by "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space" released in 1982.
The second special edition, which is a "complete version" with over 500 cuts of the main story, will be screened from November 1st to 14th. The special edition will have different epilogue cuts added to the first and second editions. The second edition will show special footage from "SEED FREEDOM ZERO." It has been a huge hit, grossing 5 billion yen including the special edition and attracting an audience of over 3 million people.
