New 'Pokemon' Mewtwo Movie Shares First Poster

Beginning with the 20th film in the Pokemon franchise, the series has been exploring nostalgia as they revisit many of the early events of the series anime like Ash's first adventures in Kanto and Johto. This trend seems to continue with the 22nd film, Mewtwo Strikes Back EVOLUTION, which teases the return of one the series' first Legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo.

You can see the first poster for the new film below!

Scheduled to release July 12, 2019 in Japan, Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back EVOLUTION will be directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonari Sakakibara, with a screenplay written by Takeshi Shudo. The film's official website revealed this first poster, which falls in line with the brief teaser revealing a fully CG rendered Mewtwo.

It's unclear as of this writing as to whether or not the new film will feature such CG, but fans are expecting to see more from the film soon as it will reportedly release a full trailer for the film on New Year's Day. The new film most likely will not be a retread of Mewtwo Strikes Back, but the title implies that this will be a soft reimagining of the franchise. This is also further implied by this upgraded look for Mewtwo.

This falls in line with Pokemon's recent efforts, as Pokemon: The Power of Us (released in Japan under the title of Everyone's Story) sort of re-imagined the events of Pokemon the Movie 2000 (complete with a new appearance from Legendary bird Lugia) and Pokemon: I Choose You! re-imagined Ash and Pikachu's first adventures in the Kanto region.

For those interested, Pokemon: The Power of Us is currently available on home video and is officially described as such:

"Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us tells the story of Ash and Pikachu as they journey to a small seaside town filled with a diverse set of characters, including a young athlete, a compulsive liar, a shy researcher, a bitter old woman, and a little girl with a big secret.

Every year, the townspeople gather to celebrate the Legendary Pokémon Lugia, who brings the wind that saved the town from destruction many years ago. The festival is a time for celebration, with a Pokémon Catching Race and a ceremonial flame burning brightly to summon Lugia. But when a series of incidents threatens not just the festival, but all the people and Pokémon who call the town home, it's going to take more than just Ash and Pikachu to save the day. Will these people be able to put aside their differences and work together to rescue their town? Or will it all end in destruction?"