'Evangelion 3.0+1.0' Film Delayed by Coronavirus

Takeshi Honda

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The long-awaited sequel to 2013’s Evangelion 3.0 film has been delayed due to COVID-19. Evangelion 3.0+1.0, which recently received a hard 2020 release date, has been postponed “due to the unprecedented situation in Japan and overseas due to the spread of the new coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19),” according to the Evangelion website. It continues, stating “the team made every effort to deliver the work as scheduled to everyone who is looking forward to it.”

This announcement follows the Japanese government expanding its State of Emergency to cover the whole country, which includes the closure of movie theaters in several different prefectures. Theaters in Tokyo and Osaka have transitioned from limited-to-zero hours during the pandemic.

The Rebuild of Evangelion film series began in 2007 with Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, which served as a remake to the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. The film then began to divert from the series’ original story in its second film Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance in 2009. Following that, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo from 2012 introduced an entirely new story within the same universe.

Evangelion 3.0+1.0, which will serve as the final installment in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, was teased in 2012 with a 2015 released date, however, the film saw several delays due to the creator’s mental health.

公開延期のお知らせhttps://t.co/pSQ3v5b9VK
この度、2020年6月27日（土）に公開を予定しておりました、『シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版』につきまして公開日の延期を決定いたしました。
楽しみにしていただいている皆様へ、このようなご報告となりましたこと、深くお詫び申し上げます。 pic.twitter.com/tKB2piEfqF
— エヴァンゲリオン_official (@evangelion_co) April 17, 2020

公式サイトTOPページ、スタッフクレジットを更新しました。https://t.co/eJh9mz165k
スタッフクレジットはこちらよりhttps://t.co/yGu8B76ciM pic.twitter.com/5VFRuheanf
— エヴァンゲリオン_official (@evangelion_co) April 17, 2020