US animation distributor GKIDS announced the acquisition of the home video and theatrical rights to “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” With the rights to Evangelion, the 12-year-old NY company will release the 26-episode series and two films on Blu-Ray and digital download sometime in 2021.
The announcement made last night comes as the influential anime series created by Hideaki Anno celebrates its 25th anniversary. The first episode of Evangelion made its debut in Japan on October 4, 1995.
“‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ was one of the first titles that transformed my idea of what animation is truly capable of,” said David Jesteadt, GKIDS President. “GKIDS was created with the intent to distribute the best animation in the world, and it’s an honor to help share such a groundbreaking work with North American audiences in new formats.”
What remains to be known is if the Blu-Ray and theatrical release the company will release is the original English dub, the Netflix one, or a completely new one. Something that did upset fans in the Netflix release was the absence of Evangelion’s version of “Fly Me to the Moon.”
As for the movies GKIDS obtained the rights for: “The End of Evangelion” and “Evangelion: Death (True)².”
It’ll be the first time the acclaimed anime franchise will be available on Blu-Ray (including an “Ultimate Edition”).
GKIDS is proud to announce the acquisition of the North American home video and theatrical rights to NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.
Properties included:
▸ NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (26 ep. TV series)
▸ EVANGELION: DEATH (TRUE)²
▸ THE END OF EVANGELION
💥 https://t.co/UIGOqPj420 pic.twitter.com/6l8zMfAp49
— GKIDS Films (@GKIDSfilms) October 3, 2020
Coming to Blu-ray (including an Ultimate Edition) and on Digital Download-to-Own in 2021, marking the 1st time #Evangelion will be available on Blu-ray in N. America.
💥https://t.co/UIGOqPj420
Follow @GKIDSfilms for updates!#Evangelion25th #NeonGenesisEvangelion #エヴァ25周年
— GKIDS Films (@GKIDSfilms) October 3, 2020
[Source]: IndieWire: ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ to Get First-Ever Blu-ray Release from GKIDS.