New Trailer for 4K Update of ‘The Man Who Stole the Sun’ Cult Thriller​

“A movie like this will never be made again!” Toho in Japan has unveiled a brand new trailer for the 4K re-release of a cult classic that few have seen titled The Man Who Stole the Sun. Originally released in 1979 in Japan, this film has been making a big comeback recently as a subversive, bonkers, Japanese New Wave favorite about a guy who builds an atomic bomb in his apartment and declares war on the state. Yes for real! A high school science teacher is the butt of all his students’ jokes, until their bus is hijacked on a school trip. But something more sinister lurks beneath the surface: he’s building an atomic bomb in his apartment. On October 6th, 1979, the legendary The Man Who Stole the Sun—a film that left an indelible mark on Japanese cinematic history—premiered. The film returns to Reiwa-era screens in a 4K digital remaster this October exactly 47 years later. Starring Kenji Sawada as Makoto Kido & Bunta Sugawara as the police inspector trying to stop him, along with Kimiko Ikegami, Kazuo Kitamura, Shigeru Kamiyama, Kei Sato, Yunosuke Ito, Morio Kazama, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Yutaka Mizutani. “This legendary masterpiece, born of extraordinary passion and madness, is reborn again in 2026.” I cannot wait to see this! Keep hearing crazy things about it.

Here’s the new 4K Japanese trailer for Kazuhiko Hasegawa’s The Man Who Stole the Sun, on YouTube:

And here are older alternative trailers for Hasegawa’s The Man Who Stole the Sun, found on YouTube:

From the the Japanese New Wave era. This film is the second theatrical feature & final directorial work by Kazuhiko Hasegawa, who sadly passed away last January. Its provocative theme — an ordinary young man building an atomic bomb and confronting the state — along with its daring guerrilla-style filming techniques (virtually impossible today) and these breathtaking, all-out performances from then-superstar Kenji Sawada and acclaimed actor Bunta Sugawara, caused a massive sensation The Man Who Stole the Sun, also known as 太陽を盗んだ男, is directed by Japanese filmmaker Kazuhiko Hasegawa, his second film after making The Youth Killer (1976) previously. The screenplay is written by Leonard Schrader (aka Renâdo Shureidâ) & Kazuhiko Hasegawa; from a story by Leonard Schrader (Paul Schrader’s brother, writer of The Yakuza, Blue Collar, Old Boyfriends, The Killing of America, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters). Produced by Mataichiro Yamamoto & Kei Ijichi. The film originally opened in Japanese cinemas in October 1979. Toho will re-release Hasegawa’s The Man Who Stole the Sun in 4K in Japanese cinemas on October 16th, 2026 this fall. No US re-release is set yet. For details visit the film’s new official site. Anyone seen it?

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