I've just finished rereading NXE in its entirety over the past month while stuck in the barracks at a tech school and I can honestly say I'm happy to hear your collective re-imagining of NGE is going to stay the same.

To be honest I like it better than the source material. (after watching the original series I can't stomach the thought of watching the series or its spin offs/remakes I wound up hating it that much.)

For me the most interesting part of NXE was the ultimate redemption plot. Kudo's to whoever thought that up.