Toei Animation chairman Kozo Morishita said at the MIPCOM trade event in Cannes, France that he is hoping that production on the CG film project Saint Seiya the Movie will be completed in July 2013. Morishita added that he is considering producing a new television anime series in the Saint Seiya franchise after the film opens.

Regarding the possible new television anime series, Morishita said, "In the past we'd produced a TV series first and then a film, but we've found that delivering a movie before starting to develop a series is a great way to test the appetite of audience, and limit risks."

Morishita said of the 3D film that "Compared with other Toei Animation films, this 'Saint Seiya' feature will have a top-level budget, and will be delivered in S3D and CGI 3D. In Japan, audiences are not yet fond of stereotropic films, but it's crucial to provide a 3D version for territories like China."

Keiichi Satou (Tiger & Bunny, Ashura), is helming the CG film project. Tomohiro Suzuki, a scriptwriter for six episodes of Tiger & Bunny, is writing the screenplay. The film is listed as the new "Masami Kurumada Project," and Kurumada, the original creator of the Saint Seiya mythological fantasy manga, is credited for the original story.

Toei Animation confirmed in February 2011 that production on a new computer-animated film of Saint Seiya had been green-lit.

Source: Variety

Image © Masami Kurumada/Shueisha, Toei Animation