Four months later and we finally have an update on when Mars Express will hit North American theaters after generating a ton of buzz at Cannes and the Annecy Film Festival.
GKids acquired the film last November and announced plans to release the film in theaters in 2024 and today, we learned that Mars Express will be released on May 3.
GKids also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to shared the English-dub voice cast for the film. Check it out below.
The film has also received a slightly updated synopsis, which reads, "In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker.
On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet’s capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the face of the universe."
Through the various film festivals, Variety managed to view the film and wrote a glowing review: "Mars Express mixes mature themes with anime influences in a noirish sci-fi thriller. An uncommon spin on modern anxieties — particularly when it comes to AI. It serves a heady pop-culture cocktail, mixing hard-boiled fiction with science-fantasy comix, riffing on Philip Marlow and Philip K. Dick (with winks to Watchmen and Robocop and oh so many more) with a mystery yarn that places humans and cyborgs on equal footing."
First Showing also viewed the film early and had nothing but positive things to say: "An incredible animated sci-fi creation. Mars Express is like a French update on the iconic Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell. Phenomenal geeky world building and intricacy."
In a previous press release, GKIDS president David Jesteadt stated, "Mars Express is a film we have been excited about for years since we saw the very first footage. This is a timely and provocative story set in one of the greatest animated sci-fi worlds I’ve seen, and we are thrilled to help bring it to North American audiences."