HiGH&LOW: THE NEW WORLD Braves One Last Ride In 2027 For The Hit The Action Saga’s Finale!
The final feature film chapter of the HiGH&LOW franchise is in production for a 2027 release with HiGH&LOW: The New World. Japanese management firm LDH (Love Dream Happiness) made the announcement on Wednesday, signaling first five names of the franchise returning to star: Akira, Naoto, Alan Shirahama, Kazuma Kawamura, and Hokuto Yoshino.
Fueled by themes of troubled youth and beat-em-up bravado, the HiGH&LOW saga takes place in a near-lawless motorpunk version of Japan in a city split in five districts run by sovereign gangs, each with their own unique asthetic and vying for all pride and glory. The first film, HiGH&Low: The Movie, opened in 2016 with a story that focused on all five gangs, led by the Sannoh Hoodlum Squad in its confrontation with Kuryu Group’s agenda of conquest, while fighting to bring one of its own back into the fold.
HiGH&LOW: The New World will take place in a new setting, largely placing its story focus on the aftermath of 2017’s HiGH&LOW: Final Mission, in which the gangs of S.W.O.R.D., the maverick Amamiya Brothers and allies therein unravel a major conspiracy by Kuryu Group, resulting in an explosive battle to save the people of an abandoned shanty town once shielded by the freerunning heroic Rude Boys. A post-credits scene plays out with a type-written message indicating the entry of a new character known as “Bulge,” and finishing out with “The takeover plan has begun.”
The new film is being directed by Shigeaki Kubo and Norihisa Hiranuma, both who’ve been with the franchise in perpetuity since its early days, with the former having worked on the IP since the inaugural TV drama, “HiGH&LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.”; Kubo, who last directed 2024’s Golden Kamuy and worked on the WOWOW sequel series, last directed Kawamura and Yoshino in HiGH&LOW: The Worst, with Hiranuma directing both actors on 2022’s HiGH&LOW: The Worst X.
News of HiGH&LOW: The New World also comes as the franchise has also spun off into a new HiGH&LOW stage show directed by Hiranuma which set during the Sengoku period, and begins its run in Tokyo next month. Additionally, the franchise is also charting a new course in Thailand following news of upcoming series, “HIGH&LOW: Born To Be HiGH,” from director Kamthorn Lorjitramnuay.
More cast names and details on the final film are expected to release in the coming months while the company also plots a new concert series in Japan launching in September.
The HIGH&LOW franchise remains a popular Japanese action favorite across the world with most of the films still streaming on Netflix outside the region since 2020. Combined with the signature high energy music of its stars whose agency reside with LDH as members of supergroup Exile Tribe, Kubo, Hiranuma and all the other stewards of the HIGH&LOW saga thusfar have proven able to deliver a multimedia spectacle that continues to thrive to this day.
The franchise also has a new overview and teaser visual in the last thirty seconds showcasing a new approach to the action in the franchise with guns, something not seen since 2016’s HiGH&LOW: The Red Rain. The new footage also teases new looks at a couple of potential new players in this battlefield for the upcoming film, including franchise familiars Kawamura, Yoshino, Naoto, and a brand new badass look at Akira in the last thirty seconds. Check it out below:
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