← all stories
Bandai Namco Filmworks
Bandai Namco Filmworks is actively producing multiple theatrical and streaming projects across its Sunrise and other IPs, including the Sunrise 50th Anniversary slate, new entries in the Gundam, Girls und Panzer, Patlabor, Yamato, and Votoms franchises, and the new Ghost in the Shell TV series, while also managing a rare public apology for an unauthorized reference in a Sgt. Frog film.
Synthesized from 8
Yomimono stories · updated
14h ago
Bandai Namco Filmworks is in the middle of a broad production push that spans several major anime franchises. The studio announced the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project, running from 2026 to 2028, which includes six original 3DCG short films under the Mirai e no Kōro banner and the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed. The Votoms film itself is now confirmed as a two-part theatrical release, with the first part opening November 20, 2026. Original creator Ryōsuke Takahashi returns as supervising director, and Kenji Kawai composes the score.
Several other franchise entries are in active release or near release. The Patlabor EZY project released its first film, File 1, on May 15, 2026, with File 2 set for August 14, 2026, and File 3 for March 2027. The sixth Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199 film, Aoi Meikyū, opens June 26, 2026. The fifth Girls und Panzer das Finale film opens October 9, 2026, and a television broadcast of Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! starts in October. The studio also announced that two mobile suits from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM will appear as nebuta floats at the 2026 Aomori Nebuta Festival, the first Gundam Festival Project event.
On the streaming side, the new Ghost in the Shell TV series, produced by Science SARU and directed by Moko-chan, streams on Prime Video in Japan from July 7, 2026, and globally in over 240 countries. The studio also issued a public apology in June 2026 for including an unapproved Attack on Titan reference in the new Sgt. Frog movie, promising to tighten internal verification systems after a communications breakdown allowed the reference to remain despite the rights holder's objections.
Key facts
- Sunrise 50th Anniversary project
- Bandai Namco Filmworks announced the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project, running from 2026 to 2028, including six original 3DCG short films and the Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. ↗
- Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe release
- The two-part film series opens with part one on November 20, 2026. Ryōsuke Takahashi returns as supervising director, Kenji Kawai composes the score. ↗
- Patlabor EZY film schedule
- File 1 debuted May 15, 2026; File 2 follows August 14, 2026; File 3 arrives March 2027. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff. ↗
- Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199 sixth film
- The sixth film, Aoi Meikyū, opens June 26, 2026. The anime runs seven films total. ↗
- Girls und Panzer das Finale fifth film
- The fifth film opens in Japan on October 9, 2026. A television broadcast of Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! starts in October. ↗
- Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell streaming
- The new TV anime streams on Prime Video in Japan from July 7, 2026, and globally in over 240 countries. Science SARU produces; Moko-chan directs. ↗
- Gundam SEED FREEDOM nebuta floats
- Two mobile suits from the film will appear as nebuta floats at the 2026 Aomori Nebuta Festival, the first Gundam Festival Project event. ↗
- Unauthorized Attack on Titan reference apology
- Bandai Namco Filmworks and Bandai Namco Pictures apologized for including an unapproved Attack on Titan reference in the new Sgt. Frog movie, citing a communications breakdown. ↗
Timeline
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Claim activity
When a claim about Bandai Namco Filmworks was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Confirmed bandai namco filmworks produces votoms die graue hexe May 28 · source
- Confirmed bandai namco filmworks produces be forever yamato rebel 3199 May 28 · source
- Confirmed bandai namco filmworks produces patlabor ezy May 28 · source
All coverage
16h ago
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on July 6 that two mobile suits from the film "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM" will appear as giant nebuta floats at the 2026 Aomori Nebuta Festival. The Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam and the Infinite Justice Gundam Type II, crafted by nebuta master Hiroo Fukushi, will serve as the front nebuta leading a parade group. The exhibition is the first installment of the Gundam Festival Project, an initiative that places Gundam IP into locally cherished festivals as a form of regional revitalization. A newly drawn event key visual shows characters Kira Yamato, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, and Cagalli Yula Athha dressed in haneto dancer costumes. The parade will also distribute collaboration fans featuring that visual. The festival runs from August 2 to August 7, with a pre-festival display on August 1. A pop-up shop opens July 18 at the To-O Nippo Shinmachi Building, selling limited goods and tie-up products with local Aomori items like Stamina Gen Tare sauce, Gachirin apple juice, and Nanbu Senbei crackers. Additional collaborations include chocolate banana flavored English Toast bread and Polo Chocolat cake in limited packaging.
Jun 28
Bandai Namco Filmworks released the first full trailer and key visual for the fifth Girls und Panzer das Finale film, which opens in Japan on October 9. The film follows Ooarai's win in the semi-finals and their finals match against St. Gloriana Girls' College. The franchise also announced a television broadcast for the Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! anime starting in October.
Jun 27
Bandai Namco Filmworks and Bandai Namco Pictures issued an apology for including an unapproved reference to Attack on Titan in the new Sgt. Frog movie. The rights holders had clearly stated their objections beforehand, but a communications breakdown within the companies allowed the reference to remain. The companies promised to tighten internal verification systems.
Jun 17
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project, running from 2026 to 2028, to mark 50 years since the first Sunrise-branded work, Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, in 2027. The project includes a key visual of 50 selected works and the Mirai e no Kōro short film project, which will produce six original 3DCG animated shorts in collaboration with other studios. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed, and the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe is also part of the initiative.
Jun 16
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on June 16 that the new TV anime Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell will stream on Prime Video in Japan starting July 7 at 23:30 JST, with the fastest domestic unlimited viewing. The series will air on Kantele and Fuji TV's new anime slot Ka Anibar!! at 23:00 JST the same day. Overseas, the anime will stream exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and regions, excluding mainland China, Russia, and Vietnam. A Prime Video-exclusive trailer was released alongside the announcement, showing Public Security Section 9 members led by Motoko Kusanagi and hinting at the mysterious hacker Puppeteer. The anime is produced by Science SARU, with Moko-chan directing in her debut role. Series composition and script are by Tow Ubukata, character design and chief animation direction by Shuhei Handa, and music by Taisei Iwasaki. The ending theme is "Blue" by MILLENNIUM PARADE, featuring Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar. A US premiere screening of episodes 1 and 2 will take place at Anime Expo 2026 on July 4, with a staff panel and autograph sessions.
May 19
Bandai Namco Filmworks released a new video for the Patlabor EZY anime project on Thursday, introducing the main characters of the Special Vehicles Division 2. The project consists of eight episodes released as three theatrical films. The first film, File 1, debuted on May 15, 2026, and contains the first two episodes in an omnibus format. File 2 follows on August 14, 2026, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives in March 2027 with the final two episodes as a two-part story. The story is set in the 2030s, where Labors have become commonplace and are increasingly replaced by autonomous robots. SV2 still uses a tuned-up version of the SV-98 Ingram. The cast includes Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori, Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama, Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai, Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki, and Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script. Mori Calliope performs the opening theme, and Mariko Nagai performs the ending theme.
May 17
Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed the main trailer and visual for the sixth film in the Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199 series, titled Aoi Meikyū (Blue Labyrinth). The film opens June 26. The trailer shows the Yamato appearing in present-day Tokyo as the crew passes through a space-time node to 2026. The anime runs seven films total.
May 16
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced that Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe will reach Japanese theaters as a two-part film series. The first part opens on November 20, 2026. The date arrived with a new trailer and key visuals. Original Votoms creator Ryōsuke Takahashi returns as supervising director. Kenji Kawai, known for his work on Mobile Suit Gundam 00, is composing the score. Mechanical design duties go to Yoshihiro Sono, who worked on Votoms: AT Stories, and Shinobu Tsuneki, whose credits include Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These. The project was first revealed in January 2026. The second film does not yet have a date. Bandai Spirits and Megahouse, two Bandai Namco subsidiaries, will produce merchandise tied to the films. Bandai Spirits plans a High Grade model kit and a Hi-Metal R figure of the Scopedog in a desert color scheme. Megahouse will release 8cm model kits in its VA-KIT Platoon line. More merchandise details are expected at the 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show, which runs May 16 and 17 at Twin Messe Shizuoka.