The anime movie Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time was advertised as the end of the Evangelion franchise, and its poster even said, “Bye-bye, all of EVANGELION.” Then in March 2022, creator Hideaki Anno was asked during a Twitter interview, “Mr. Anno, are you truly finished with Evangelion?” He replied: “This it the third time I’ve finished it, so I think that’s enough.”
But now it turns out that might not be the case. Anno cryptically told The Asahi Shimbun that “there may be plans” to create more Evangelion anime. He stressed that nothing is set in stone, yet rather than saying the franchise is over, as he insisted before, he’s now “not ruling out” that there could be more.
Interestingly, he noted that if there is more Evangelion, someone else might be in charge of it instead of him, and this person would get a lot of creative freedom.
Anno didn’t say too much on the subject, leaving his fans to wonder and wait for more (possible) news.
GKIDS has licensed Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time and is releasing it in America. It gave this description for the plot (which, once again, includes a reference to this being the end of the franchise):
From legendary director Hideaki Anno, EVANGELION:3.0+1.11 THRICE UPON A TIME is the fourth and final installment of the REBUILD OF EVANGELION films, bringing an epic conclusion to the story of Shinji and his fellow Eva pilots, with the stunning visuals and thought-provoking storytelling that has made EVANGELION a global pop culture phenomenon.
Misato and her anti-NERV group Wille arrive at Paris, a city now red from core-ization. Crew from the flagship Wunder land on a containment tower. They only have 720 seconds to restore the city. When a horde of NERV Evas appear, Mari’s improved Eva Unit 8 must intercept. Meanwhile, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei (Provisional Name) wander about Japan.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.