‘UltraMan: Rising’ Co-Director John Aoshima Signs Overall Deal With Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
Japanese-American animation artist and filmmaker John Aoshima, recently co-director of the Netflix feature Ultraman: Rising, has signed an exclusive multi-year overall development deal with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA).
Aoshima’s official title at WBPA will be director in development, and he will develop both original and IP-driven projects. The moribund feature animation unit of Warner Bros. has been in extended hibernation with no new titles released since 2022’s DC League of Super-Pets.
The division was relaunched in 2023 under Bill Damaschke. Various projects are planned including multiple Dr. Seuss adaptations and some films from the U.K.’s Locksmith Animation (Bad Fairies). Other announced titles in development include Margie Claus, Emily the Strange and Meerkat Manor.
In addition to his new gig at WBPA, Aoshima is also guest-directing on the upcoming second season of Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai. Aoshima has an extensive history of directing in tv animation and has previously helmed episodes of Gravity Falls, American Dad!, and Ducktales, as well as sequence-directed on Netflix’s limited series Maya and the Three.
Aoshima is repped by attorney Rob Szymanski.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly state that Locksmith Animation was producing Margie Claus. Locksmith is not involved in the production of that Warner Bros. Pictures Animation film.