Toei Confirms Plans “To Build A Major Brand For ‘Kamen Rider’ Films,” Won’t Be A Marvel Or DC Style Cinematic Universe
In service of their ongoing efforts to help the seminal tokusatsu series make inroads into previously untapped markets, particularly those in America and China, Toei is currently working to launch a new, big-budget Kamen Rider film line – and though details are still being kept close to their heavily-armored chests, the studio has confirmed that, at the very least, said line will not be a Marvel or DCU-style cinematic universe.
This tease as to the grasshopper-themed hero’s upcoming silver screen plans was provided by the Toei executive producer Shin-Ichiro Shirakura, who currently serves as the director of planning and production for both the Kamen Rider and its sister Super Sentai, during a recent interview given to the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club, their eponymous streaming service which provides subscribers with access to their library of tokusatsu offerings and platform-exclusive specials.
Per a recap of the interview provided by tokusatsu fan-account 特攝SFX and cross-referenced against a machine translation produced by ChatGPT, Shirakura was at one point asked if there were any “future plans for the Kamen Rider series, which will celebrate its 55th anniversary next year?”, to which the producer teased, “It’s a secret. But that’s practically an answer.”
“It’s currently in production, and we’re thinking of holding a press conference around April 3rd, 2026,” he added. “We’re currently discussing what we might announce then.”
Further pressed as to the current progress of the franchise’s greater film plans, which typically include a series’ respective ‘baton pass’ in the Winter, their own solo outings in the Summer, but also occasionally receive such non-standard entries like Hideaki Anno’s Shin Kamen Rider, Shirakura asserted, “If we can hold a press conference in April 2026, we hope to clearly establish the film’s brand identity at that time. We’re currently finalizing that.”
“In other words, we want to build a brand for Kamen Rider films. It’s not about a cinematic universe like Marvel or DC, but rather ‘this kind of line (production line).’ Line A, Line B, Line C, and the different creations from the summer films—Kamen Rider films are being developed as a plot device, while also clearly differentiating them from the Summer films.”
Given what little information the franchise oversee was able to provide, it seems like this ‘new film line’ may be akin to something like the recent Kamen Rider Amazons and Kamen Rider Black RX, which provided a grittier, more mature take on their respective source materials.
And ultimately, that would make sense, as such ‘cinematic reinterpretations’ are historically proven to not only help ingratiate a specific IP with the general public, but also spark renewed interest in the source materials, often to the great financial boon of its respective owners.
After all, just look at what happened to Marvel, DC, and even The Lord of the Rings after their silver screen debuts – more people picked up a book featuring DC’s Dark Knight after Tim Burton leaned into his ‘dark and brooding’ attitude than they would have had that material been left to the page.
All in all, the next official update regarding Toei’s Kamen Rider plans will likely come, as mentioned above, in early April.
