Geneon (formerly Pioneer) will be the U.S. distributor for the Appleseed movie, which opened earlier this year in theaters in Japan, and which should receive at least a limited U.S. theatrical release later this summer.  Based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, the Appleseed movie features state-of-the-art 3D animation, based on motion-capture technology.  Shinji Aramaki, director of Bubblegum Crisis, directed the new 3D movie version of Appleseed.  A second Appleseed 3D animated movie is already in production in Japan and a third film is planned (the first Appleseed anime production was an OVA series from 1988, which is currently available in the U.S. through Manga Entertainment).

In addition to Appleseed, Geneon also announced that the company will also be distributing Tetsujin 28, though Geneon did not announce whether it would be the new Tetsujin 28 anime series (currently on air in Japan) or the as yet unreleased Tetsujin 28 live action movie.  An inside source told ICv2 that Geneon would probably be distributing both the anime series and the live action movie.  Created by the legendary (and recently deceased) manga-ka Mitsuteru Yokoyama, the original black-and-white Tetsujin 28 go anime series, was one of the first anime series to be broadcast in the U.S., where it was known as Gigantor and is still fondly remembered by many (Rhino has released the original series on DVD).