In the vast world of anime, there are few franchises out there that match Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail. The anime debuted back in 2009 and has since become one of the most popular franchises in Japan. And like many of its kind, Fairy Tail has also been adapted into cinematic form. Sadly, the anime has been slow to produce movies -- seeing that there's only been one to date. However, there is hope on the horizon, as the anime's distribution company, GAGA, has just given fans an update of what's to come.

For those unfamiliar with Fairy Tail, the anime follows an aspiring Celestial wizard named Lucy, who joins forces with Natsu, Ezra, and Grey -- three incredibly powerful wizards -- to better hone her skills. She explores a world that's filled with magic, mystery and, of course, a lot of danger. Because Lucy and her fellow wizard allies are so cherished by fans, the want for more Fairy Tail has continued to grow over the years. But it's been five long years since the first film -- 2012's Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess -- so fans are even more anxious for a follow-up. Thankfully, they won't have to wait much longer.

GAGA (via ComicBook) has announced the official title and release date for the second Fairy Tail movie. The studio gave the announcement when they created a new page on their official website, giving fans a few nice teasers. The film will be called Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry, and it is set to hit theaters in spring 2017. This is exciting news for anime fans everywhere since the movie's release period should coincide with the expected return of Attack on Titan as well.

This announcement may come as big surprise to Fairy Tail fans, seeing that the most recent update about a new Fairy Tail movie was all the way back in May 2015 when Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine confirmed it. Since then, there had been no word on when the second movie would actually come. But despite Dragon Cry coming years after its predecessor, the anime's growing popularity will surely help it get off to a good start.

With the announcement of Dragon Cry, fans are starting off the New Year in a very promising way.  The movie will hopefully add to what the anime's previous 250+ episodes have laid out so far. While we still don't know exactly what Dragon Cry will focus on, the anime's wealth of fascinating characters, stories, and settings will definitely help to make it a memorable installment in the franchise.

Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry is scheduled to hit theaters in spring 2017, but we will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Source: ComicBook