In the October issue of Newtype (Japan) Gainax revealed a four-part series of films entitled Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban, which will adapt (with new material) the recondite Neon Genesis Evangelion TV anime and make it more comprehensible to ordinary viewers.  Hideaki Anno, the genius behind the original Evangelion anime, is writing the first movie and has been named General Supervisor for the entire project.  Tsurumaki Kazuya, who directed the first two episodes of the TV series, will helm the four films and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Ikuto Yamashita will provide the character and mecha designs respectively just as they did for the original Evangelion project.

 

The first movie in the series is due out in theaters in Japan in the summer of 2007.  This 'remake' will feature all new animation and will eschew some of the more esoteric techniques used in the original series such as the interspersing and scattering of difficult words and text phrases in the animation.  Look for more information on this somewhat risky venture (Gainax is tampering with an acknowledged classic and will have to try to avoid the potential loss of mystique from either dumbing-down the original or just creating a redundant version of a series that has already appeared in a number of versions) as it becomes available.