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'New Code Geass Project's Latest Footage' on April BD/DVD

The Japanese video distributor Bandai Visual will put "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Kiseki no Birthday" — the December 5 stage event that announced the "New Code Geass Project" — on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and UMD on April 23. While 100 minutes of this home video release's 140-minute run-time will be devoted to the live event, it will also feature the "latest footage of the 'New Code Geass Project'" among its 40 minutes of bonus extras.

The home video release's other bonus extras include a video-recorded version of the "picture drama" that was presented at the "Kiseki no Birthday" event. A picture drama tells a story through still pictures and dialogue on an audio track. The seven cast members who appeared at the event also recorded video comments after the event ended.

Sunrise and Bandai Visual announced at the December event and on the Code Geass anime franchise's official websites that there will be a "rebirth" for Code Geass, and promised more information in 2010. According to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi, the new project will feature the simultaneous releases of comic series, music, new items under development, and visual works. The first phase of the "New Code Geass Project" is Tomomasa Takuma's tentatively titled Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya (Code Geass: Jet-Black Renya or Code Geass: Renya of the Blackness) manga. The manga will launch this spring.

Kawaguchi said in the February issues of Newtype and Animage magazines this week that there are at least two more phases planned, but said he did not know what form or format that the next phase of the "New Code Geass Project" will take. He did say that he and director Gorō Taniguchi would be interested in a stage or musical version of Code Geass. He added that he wants to announce a new animation project as part of the "New Code Geass Project" effort "soon."

Source: animeanime.jp, Saishin Anime Jōhō, Temple Knights

Update: More background information added.