'Lupin III: The First' Trailer: The CG-Animated Caper Reveals Its English Dub Cast

Lupin The Third is one of the most beloved anime icons in Japan who has been barely heard of in the U.S., apart from being a fun footnote in esteemed director Hayao Miyazaki's career. The cocky gentleman thief created by Monkey Punch has been the star of manga, anime, feature films, video games, musicals, and many, many TV specials. But he'll be making his big, flashy theatrical U.S. debut in a totally new format: CG animation. American anime fans have been waiting for the first CGI Lupin III movie, aptly titled Lupin III: The First, for a long time since the film first came out in Japan in 2019, but a new trailer finally reveals the U.S. release date for the film as well as the English dub cast. Watch the new Lupin III: The First trailer below.

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Lupin III: The First is clearly a film made to be seen on the big screen: it's full of vibrant colors, nonstop action, and a flashy CG-animation style that pays homage to the 1960s Eurospy style that the character was first created to emulate. It looks great, and honestly is the best attempt at recreating anime's particular style in the CG-animated medium that I've ever seen. Studio Ghibli, take notes.

Lupin III was created by Monkey Punch in 1967 and has maintained cultural icon status in Japan since then, but aside from Miyazaki's directorial debut film The Castle of Cagliostro, has remained mostly unknown in the U.S. But he will be introduced to U.S. audiences with a bang, screening as a Fathom theatrical event this October, GKIDS announced Monday.

The English dubbed version of the film will play on Sunday, October 18, and the subtitled version screens on Wednesday, October 21. And for those longtime American anime fans of Lupin, the voices of the English dub cast will sound familiar: the original English voice cast of the Lupin the Third Part II anime series and its sequels will be reprising their roles, including Tony Oliver, Richard Epcar, Lex Lang, Michelle Ruff, Doug Erholtz, Laurie C. Hymes, J. David Brimmer, and Paul Guyet.

The film will be available for digital streaming rental in December, though a specific date hasn't been announced.

Here is the synopsis for Lupin III: The First:

The iconic "gentleman thief" Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.

Lupin III: The First will play the English dubbed version on October 18, 2020 with the subtitled version following on October 21, 2020. Theater details and tickets are available via GKIDS' site.