Shin Kamen Rider: Here's When You Can Stream The Movie Online

The "Kamen Rider" franchise celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with the big-screen venture "Shin Kamen Rider." (Although technically it's been 52 years since the 1971 series.) The fourth installment of Hideaki Anno's Shin Japan Heroes Universe, the project acts as a reimagining of the iconic Japanese superhero who got his start in the Toei television series "Kamen Rider." The film follows motorcyclist Takeshi Hongo (Sosuke Ikematsu), who is captured by the organization SHOCKER and is transformed into a human grasshopper cyborg with incredible powers. Alongside his close friend Ruriko (Minami Hamabe) and superpowered SHOCKER survivor Hayato (Tasuku Emoto), Takeshi dubs himself Kamen Rider and sets out to rid the world of SHOCKER's evil.

The film was released in Japan on March 17 followed by a limited release in the United States in May. For fans who may have missed these dates, however, there is good news — we finally have some word on when "Shin Kamen Rider" is set to stream and where. As the film's theatrical run in Japan concluded on June 4, it was announced that the film will be coming to Amazon Prime on July 21. The streaming debut will occur in over 200 countries and territories. While it is unknown if the United States will be amongst these locations, the news nevertheless provides hope to fans that the monster-fighting goodness they've been waiting for is closer than ever. And for others who have seen the film and are itching for more motorcycle-riding action, there may also be some good news in store.

Thanks to its 2.02 billion yen gross (just over $15 million) — the highest of any "Kamen Rider" film — and its generally positive reception from critics and audiences, it's no surprise that talks of a sequel to "Shin Kamen Rider" have begun to take shape. 

Director Hideaki Anno has expressed interest in a follow-up adventure. During a special event featuring Anno and much of the film's cast in April, the "Evangelion" creator shared that he came up with a concept and title for a potential sequel while working on the first film. "I've been writing the plan since I was writing the script for this," he explained in Japanese. "Right now, it's a blank slate, but it's still a concept." He said that if Toei asked him to make a sequel, he would. He even said he knows what to title the sequel: "Masker World," named after the final arc of the manga. And what would "Masker World" be about? According to Anno, the film would blend its power-punched premise with elements of a political thriller as the Japanese government teams up with SHOCKER to create new artificial intelligence threats that Kamen Rider would have to face. 

It may be a long shot to see this come to fruition, as even more successful Shin Universe films such as 2016's "Shin Godzilla" have had their sequel plans cancelled. But given the lower budget of "Shin Kamen Rider," it may be a less risky option for Toei — and something that fans around the world would be more than happy to see.