Hibagon Town-Promotion Film Sets Spring 2027 Release, Mu Editor to Appear
The project, restarted through a 'Mu' and CAMPFIRE crowdfunding plan after an initial failure, reached its goals including a cameo by the magazine's editor-in-chief, tying the film directly to the UMA magazine's brand.
Reporting from 1 source: KAI-YOU.
The film 'Hibagon☆Project,' a town-promotion movie based on the UMA Hibagon, is in production with a planned spring 2027 release. Filming is underway in Saijo-cho, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where the 1970 sightings occurred. The cast includes Chika Hiraoka, Sakurako Suei, Robert Scott, Megumi Mori, and Ryuji Harada. Takeharu Mikami, editor-in-chief of 'Mu,' will appear as himself.
The screenplay is by Ken Nakazawa, a UMA researcher and author who has appeared on TV and wrote the screenplay for 'Kami no Fude: Island of Kaiju.' He also appears under his real name in the manga 'Dandadan.' Director Daisuke Sato has a history of work on other films.
The Saijo-cho Tourism Association is leading production. The project's first crowdfunding attempt in 2025 fell short, raising 1,163,000 yen against a 6 million yen target. Restarted in 2026 under the 'Mu Japan Mysteries Revival Crowdfunding Plan,' it raised 3,242,500 yen against a 1 million yen target, a 324% support rate from 217 people.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.