We Now Know More About The Alien Vs Predator Anime We'll (Probably) Never See
Whoever wins, we lose. When Disney wins, however, everyone loses.
/Film reported back in May of 2023 that Disney, as part of its massive acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, had inherited an already-complete 10-episode anime TV series based on the nerd-sating "Alien vs. Predator" series. The show's existence was confirmed by Joshua Izzo, the former director of licensing at 20th Century Fox, on the "Perfect Organism" podcast. Izzo said that the 10-episode series was complete, but that it was locked in a vault at Disney, hidden from public view. This is a common practice during mergers and management changes. The new administration as a film studio or record label, wanting to work solely on their own projects, will often shelve the previous administration's projects as a mode of keeping the slate clean. This means a lot of excellent art has never seen the light of day, or was released with so little fanfare, the public was barely aware of its existence. The quality of the art in question is never a factor.
Izzo also said that the "Alien vs. Predator" anime was going to be released across three DVDs in North America and broadcast on Japanese TV episodically. Previously, there had been a 2004 feature film called "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" and a less successful sequel called "AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator Requiem" in 2008. Neither film is very good. But the concept of the creatures from "Alien" locked in battle with the creatures from "Predator" dates back to a 1989 Dark Horse comic book series.
Now, we can dream a little more of what this project might be like thanks to a few new details about the "Alien vs. Predator" anime that have just been released, thanks to a recent Otakon convention appearance by series director Shinji Aramaki with the Anime News Network. First of all, he revealed that the series was to be called "Alien vs. Predator: Annihilation."
Alien vs. Predator: Annihilation
Aramaki also released notable plot details of "Annihilation," saying that it took place on board an enormous immigration ship. Whether it was an immigration ship populated by humans or "Predator" aliens, he didn't specify, but it seems that he was taking the template laid out by Ridley Scott's 1979 film, namely that a murderous creature was loose in a confined spaceship area and that unwitting victims are ill-equipped to deal with it. The year in which it takes place, a cast of characters, or the actual plot, sadly, were not revealed. As of this writing, fans can only speculate.
Aramaki once tweeted that he had completed work on the project seven years ago. He doesn't know why Fox, nor Disney, didn't release his series in 2016 when they could.
During the panel, Aramaki was asked if his "Alien vs. Predator: Annihilation" had anything to do with a notoriously scrapped "AVP" novel, to be written by author John Shirley, bearing the same title. Aramaki, sadly, couldn't confirm any connection. Details about that novel are just as scant.
Aramaki began his directing career with the 1987 anime special "Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01." He directed the celebrated 2004 "Appleseed" anime, which was the first of its medium to incorporate motion-capture technology. Aramaki's more recent projects include work on the most recent "Ultraman" anime series, the spinoff show "Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045," and the 2021 series "Blade Runner: Black Lotus," also, incidentally, based on a film by Ridley Scott. He has a talent for designing complex mechanical structures, and served as a designer on the 1984 "Transformers" TV series and the vehicle/toy-forward series "M.A.S.K." in 1985.
As for "Alien vs. Predator: Annihilation," further bulletins will be posted as events warrant.