Editing Ultraman (1966 TV series) (section)

===Development===
Due to the success of ''[[Ultra Q]]'', [[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] (TBS) requested a similar themed show from [[Tsuburaya Productions|Tsuburaya Productions Company]] (TPC), this time filmed in color and with the hopes of continuing the series with TPC.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=113}} TPC founder [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] and writer Tetsuo Kinjo decided to recycle the barebones idea of ''Ultra Q'' about civilians and center the show on a team, tentatively dubbed the "Scientific Investigation Agency" (SIA), specifically designed to deal with monsters and supernatural phenomena. Tsuburaya and Kinjo repurposed unused ideas from ''Ultra Q'', as well as the rejected outline for ''[[Bio Planet WoO|Woo]]''.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=114}} Tsuburaya had spent significant studio money to build his miniatures for the ''Godzilla'' films, and TPC was seeking a new project to repurpose and monetize those miniatures.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=114}} 

The first iteration of Ultraman was named "Bemular" and had a human host in his late 20s named "Officer Sakomizu", described as a "tough guy" in early drafts. Captain Muramatsu would have been the only SIA member to know his secret identity,{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=114}} and a female SIA member was added late in production.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=117}} Pre-production and story layout began in December 1965 as ''Bemular: Scientific Investigation Agency''. Writer Masahiro Yamada completed a sample teleplay titled ''The Birth of Bemular'' that featured an unused scenario originally written for ''Ultra Q''. TBS producer Takashi Kakoi demanded that Bemular have a metallic complexion and be distinguishable from similarly designed monsters to avoid confusion. As a result, Tsuburaya and Kinjo discarded Bemular's original design in favor of a humanoid appearance.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=114}} The name "Bemular" was dropped for the hero but given to Ultraman's first foe in the debut episode "Ultra Operation No. 1".{{sfn|Asahi Sonorama|1982|p=43}}

In January 1966, the production's title was changed to ''Redman'' to reflect the hero's color scheme and was unanimously approved for production a month later. In this version, Redman lands on Earth as a refugee after invaders destroyed his home planet. Redman fuses with Sakomizu and together protect the Earth from giant monsters and alien invaders.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=114}} This version also featured the "Flashbeam", an early version of Ultraman's transformation device the Beta Capsule, however, the Flashbeam version resembled a futuristic fountain pen.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=116}} During the casting process, TBS suggested actors with Western appearances in order to appeal to overseas markets, however, most of the cast came from [[Toho]]. On March 22, 1966, the copyright offices approved the shows's registration, now titled ''Ultraman''.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=117}} Each episode was produced on a budget of {{JPY|20-30 million}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakajima |first=Junichiro |date=December 10, 2008 |title=｢ウルトラマン｣は迷走から脱却できるのか |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/2536 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629165828/http://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/2536 |archive-date=June 29, 2015 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |website=Toyo Keizai Online |publisher=[[Toyo Keizai]] |language=Japanese}}</ref>