Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment have now locked in a premiere date for Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom. Have you marked your calendars for the big battle yet?
Originally released in 2010 as a Japanese light novel by Kugane Maruyama, Overlord has since sprouted into a manga and an anime series, conquering audiences in all mediums. But the most popular of all, the anime adaptation by Madhouse debuted in July 2015, followed by three more seasons entertaining audiences with jam-packed action. The series follows Momonga, a regular salaryman (later known as Ainz Ooal Gown), a powerful player trapped in the virtual game Yggdrasil, which eventually becomes his new reality.
The most recent season of Overlord concluded in Sept. 2022, adapting light novel volumes 10, 11, and 14. This left fans wondering about volumes 12 and 13 until Madhouse announced the feature film Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, set to adapt the two volumes chronicling the Paladin of the Holy Kingdom arc. Now, when is the big day?
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom release date
The film will first enter big screens in Japan on Friday, Sept. 20 before moving to the North American theaters seven weeks later. Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom will thus be released on Friday, Nov. 8, in theaters across the United States. It will be released IMAX, and premium large formats and audiences will have two screening options: English dub or Japanese original audio with English subtitles.
The film marks the first canon film in the franchise, since the first two Overlord movies, Overlord: The Undead King and Overlord: The Dark Hero, were essentially compilations of the ongoing anime seasons. Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom will instead continue the story from where the anime season 4 left off. The official plot synopsis of the film by Crunchyroll is:
“Fearing invasion of their own lands, the neighboring territory of the Slane Theocracy is forced to beg their enemies at the Sorcerer Kingdom for help. Heeding the call, Momonga, now known as the Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown, rallies the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army to join the fight alongside the Sacred Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy in hopes to defeat the Demon Emperor.”
The film is directed by Naoyuki Itou, who also helmed the previous seasons of Overlord. It will showcase Ainz’s involvement in the conflict within the Roble Holy Kingdom, showcasing large-scale battles and deeper moral complexities. Are you tuning in?