Yang Jian–Next “New Gods” anime action adventure is coming to U.S.

If you’ve watched any of the biggest anime movies from China or Japan in U.S. theaters in the past 15 years, odds are you watched it via GKIDS, the U.S. distributor known for its high-quality, indie animation choices. Thanks again to GKIDS, fans of the 2021 anime film New Gods: Nezha Reborn (streaming now on Netflix)–an action-packed mix of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wu Assassins, His Dark Materials, and Aladdin–can see its sequel in theaters later this month. New Gods: Yang Jian is a 3D animated fantasy action film from Chinese studio Light Chaser Animation, also directed by Zhao Ji and written by Mu Chuan.

New Gods: Nezha Reborn had some stunning 3D animation–on par with the best imagery of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse–and from the previews, New Gods: Yang Jian looks like it will, too. Based on a legendary Chinese tale, the story follows a bounty hunter who was once a god, hired by a mysterious woman to stop a young relative from obtaining a magical lotus lantern with incredible power.