"Battle of the Planets" Update Looks Awesome, Probably Won't Happen

Of all the animes to be brutally recut and changed around by American companies because they were cheap, nothing is quite as fondly remembered by the five people who still recall it as “Battle of the Planets” as “Gatchaman”.  It was a Japanese show about a group of teenagers who used watches to turn into bird-styled superheroes, had their own jet called the Phoenix that could literally turn into a flaming bird, and also heaping helpings of swearing, hermaphroditic villains, and bloody violence.  So, of course, it made perfect sense to take that, cut out all the “offensive” (i.e. awesome) stuff, throw in a bunch of plot points and ideas blatantly stolen from “Star Wars”, and retitle it.

Because everything has to have a remake these days, “Gatchaman” was under development by Imagi Studios, and you can get an eyeful of their adaptation here:

Looks kind of awesome, right?  Too bad you’re not likely to see it.

What happened?  Well, the last adaptation of a beloved popular anime that Imagi put out was “Astro Boy”, which cost $65 million to make and grossed less than $40 million worldwide. That little debacle meant Imagi had to shut down their LA offices, although apparently they’re still keeping this on the schedule for now. They’re also promising it in 3D. We’re a bit skeptical, since Imagi goes on to promise us a pony.

[via SlashFilm ]