One of Japan’s most iconic sci-fi franchises is coming back in a major way with Ultraman: Rising. First created by Eiji Tsuburaya, Tetsuo Kinjo, Tohl Narita and Kazuho Mitsuta, the franchise primarily revolves around the alien race known as the Ultras who venture out to various planets throughout the galaxy in order to maintain peace and prevent attacks from alien invaders and various kaijus. Up to this point, there have been over 40 different Ultraman movies, going all the way back to 1967’s Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature, while owner Tsuburaya Productions has produced a few live-action movies in recent years.

With Ultraman: Rising, the movie acts as both a reboot and revival of the franchise, centering on Ken Sato, a star baseball player who has to leave his life behind as a Los Angeles Dodger to play for a Japanese team in order to take on the titular superhero mantle after his father’s injury forces him to retire. After reluctantly embarking on various missions, Ken finds himself presented with a new challenge as he discovers the first-ever baby kaiju, accepting the responsibility of raising her and protecting her from an evil group of scientists looking to acquire her.

Hawaii Five-O and You cast alum Christopher Sean leads the Ultraman: Rising English-language cast as Ken alongside Sixteen Candles‘ Gedde Watanabe as Professor Sato, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters‘ Tamlyn Tomita, Star Wars animation voice vet Keone Young and Julia Harriman. The movie also marks a unique partnership between Tsuburaya Productions, Netflix and Industrial Light Magic, bringing the franchise to a wider international audience.

In honor of the movie’s upcoming Netflix premiere, Screen Rant interviewed stars Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe and Tamlyn Tomita to discuss Ultraman: Rising, the research they did in joining the franchise, the honor of bringing it to a global audience of newcomers and how they put their trust in directors Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima’s visions.

Ultraman: Rising Is A Reinvention Of An Iconic Character (Which Sean Was “Very Nervous” To Tackle)

Taking on the lead mantle for any iconic franchise is an intimidating choice for an actor, and Christopher Sean acknowledges that he was “very nervous” about taking the charge for Ultraman: Rising. Ultimately, though, he praised Tamlyn Tomita and Gedde Watanabe’s “extremely loving” support along with directors Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima as helping him through the process, with Tomita going on to similarly praise Sean’s efforts to research the franchise in-depth as preparation:

Christopher Sean: I think we were lucky to be able to reinvent such an iconic character for a new generation. I was very nervous and stepping into the role, and I’ve said this before, I’ll say it over and again, I really relied on mama and papa [Tamlyn & Gedde], because they are incredible. They’re amazing, they’re extremely loving. The team, as well, Shannon, John, Lisa, Tom Makiko, the list goes on. But every person in there, they were very encouraging, and they made it really easy for me to jump in and just play and have a great time finding this character, and doing, I hope, the best we could in giving justice to this franchise.

Tamlyn Tomita: Christopher was saying that relying on mama and papa, and the team, all the wonderful creators, the gods and goddesses of this Ultraman: Rising franchise. But I also want to say that he did an incredible amount of work, knowing that when he got booked this role — and he will not say it, because that’s the humble part of himself. It’s, again, this notion of what it means to be an outstanding individual on an astounding team, and he will never say that. He did so much research into what Ultraman is, its origins, how many iterations there are, its influence on Japanese culture, and what it’s going to mean to bring it out to the world via Netflix.

This is the achievement of Christopher Sean, this artist, this actor, this voice of Ultraman: Rising, and audiences will see it, that he’s a part of this incredible team. But I just want to say that that’s the duality of what it means to be Ultraman, incredible son of Kenji Sato, versus being Kenji Sato, baseball superstar, versus Ultraman, superhero of the world. So those are the kinds of thinkings that one must muse within oneself as just a regular human being. Myself, as an individual, versus a part of a family.

Finding The Character’s Dynamics Relied On A “Total Trust” In The Movie’s Directors

With every character balancing a sense of goofiness along with serious character development, finding these layers proved to be a unique challenge for the Ultraman: Rising cast, particularly as they were given the script only pages at a time and out of order, leaving them uncertain of what they were actually performing much of the time. Despite this confusion, however, the group ultimately found that the biggest key to working through this was having a “total trust” in the movie’s directors, going on to laud Tindle and Aoshima for their efforts in making a cohesive and emotional story from this work:

Gedde Watanabe: It was total trust with Shannon, because as I’ve kept saying, I didn’t know the full story. As you record it, you get these pieces of information that keep coming and coming, and all of a sudden, it’s like, “Oh, is that what this is? Oh? All right.” So, it wasn’t until we actually, one night, were invited to see it, and I was blown away, because it was a discovery. I mean, literally, I went like, “Oh, is that what this is?” It’s a surprising corner every turn. It was, for me. So, I tried to get as much information as I could, but I think Christopher, now, is educating us even more so by his knowledge, so I was blown away by it. I still am, I still can’t believe we’re doing this. Yeah, that’s, that’s what’s amazing. I recommend [trying animation voiceover work] for anybody. [Chuckles]

Tamlyn Tomita: Yeah, and how much faith it really requires, because if you don’t have a good team, it’s not gonna work. We really have to pay all credit to Shannon and Mark and John for really pulling this, because what Gedde was saying, and as you well know, the voice actors don’t get the entire script. And even if you do get the entire script, it’s going to go out. We’ve recorded this over two years, so it’s like, you’d get a scene or two, and they’re not related, and it’s like, “Why am I what am I doing here?” “Oh, well, you’re just with your son, and it kind of echoes back 10 years later.” And you’d go, “Well, what happened?” So, it’s a mishmash and, as Gedde was saying, it really requires the trust and the investment in the vision that Shannon Tindle had.

Christopher Sean: And kudos to Industrial Light and Magic, because they are the top-tier, Oscar-winning company, the best animators in the world.

About Ultraman: Rising

With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans. In partnership with Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and Industrial Light & Magic, Ultraman: Rising is written by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes, directed by Shannon Tindle, and co-directed by John Aoshima.

Stay tuned for our other Ultraman: Rising interview with directors Shannon Tindle & John Aoshima!

Source: Screen Rant Plus