Space Pirate Captain Harlock Trailer Reaches Ramming Speed

By Brent McKnight | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

With a title like Space Captain Pirate Harlock, you already have most of our attention. The fact that this CGI feature from Toei Animation looks like an insane, swashbuckling Starblazers (AKA Space Battleship Yamato) captures what was left. Check out this latest, minute-long teaser trailer for the upcoming film from director Aramaki Shinji (Appleseed, Starship Troopers: Invasion).

Matsumot Leiji’s space opera, which ran from 1977 to 1979, was already adapted into an animated series in 1978, as well as other iterations over the years. The story revolves around the titular captain and the outlaw crew of his ship, the Arcadia. That’s the vessel that looks like a space limousine with the big silver skull on the front, ramming into other ships. A kind of Robin Hood figure, Harlock rebels against Earth’s government and leads his force against the Marzone, a plant-based race of alien women who oppress Earth.

With a price tag that is said to top $30 million, you can bet Space Pirate Captain Harlock is sure to pack in the visual fireworks. You can already tell as much from this brief clip. The animation from Marza Animation Planet looks fantastic. Check out those crazy rolling guns on the spaceships, and even a few nods to Star Wars with those guys that bear more than a passing resemblance to Stormtroopers.

It’s seemingly been on the way forever—we first heard rumblings of Space Pirate Captain Harlock back in 2010—but the film will finally drop in the fall of this year.

space pirate captain harlock