2006 marked the 10th anniversary of Gainax’s landmark anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and with it, the series’ enduring popularity shows no signs of slowing. To this day the series generates millions of dollars in revenue and is seen again and again on DVD and Japanese TV.

Although a new live action version of the series was announced in 2003 by ADV Films, many fans are unsure about the production values and changes to the storyline that have been rumored to have taken place. But in September of 2006 Gainax confirmed that a new animated film series dubbed Rebuild of Evangelion is indeed in production. The series of four movies is slated for initial release in September of 2007 and has heavy involvement from the series’ creator Hideaki Anno.

According to Wikipedia the first three of these new movies will feature an alternate retelling of the TV series, including new scenes, settings, backgrounds and characters. The official Japanese website features a cryptic trailer for Rebuild of Evangelion and hints at new evas as well. Reportedly the fourth film installment will feature an all new conclusion to the storyline that fans were originally so upset with. Instead of wrapping up the series, the release of The End of Evangelion only served to feed the fan’s hunger for all things Eva.

As one of those huge fans of the series, I’ll be looking forward to this new release and keeping my finger’s crossed that they can re-create the magic and drama that made the original so great. Stay tuned!