Anno's Unfinished Evangelion Film Is Back in US Theaters

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Two animated figures stand in a vast desolate landscape under a vivid orange and red sky, surrounded by wreckage and still water at the end of the world.

Neon Genesis Evangelion ended in 1996 with two TV episodes that abandoned animation almost entirely. Gainax ran out of money. Anno was having a breakdown.

Fans were furious. Anno said he read online discussions where people argued about "the best way to kill him." When The End of Evangelion came out, it included fake fan emails based on actual hate mail the studio received. One read: "Anno, I'll kill you!!"

Death and Rebirth was supposed to fix the ending. It came out March 1997, but Rebirth was unfinished. The End of Evangelion followed four months later as the complete version.

The original unfinished film is back in US theaters. If you haven't seen the series, start there. Then End of Evangelion. Death and Rebirth is for people who want to know how Anno got from one to the other.

Quick Facts

Anno's Unfinished Evangelion Film Is Back in US Theaters

DirectorHideaki Anno

CastMegumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi, Fumihiko Tachiki

GenreAnimation, Drama, Science Fiction

Release2026-07-21

Runtime101 min

Rated7.4/10

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The Evangelion film Anno couldn't finish in 1997 is back in US theaters. #Evangelion #Backlot

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Anno read death threats after the Evangelion TV finale. Death and Rebirth is back in US theaters. #Evangelion #Backlot

Neon Genesis Evangelion ended in 1996 with two TV episodes that abandoned animation almost entirely. Gainax ran out of money. Anno was having a breakdown.

Death and Rebirth was supposed to fix the ending. It came out March 1997, but Rebirth was unfinished. The End of Evangelion followed four months later as the complete version.