The film adaptation of Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984) has been in development hell for a very long time. Back in the ’80s Peter Keefe spliced clips from two anime shows owned by Japanese company Toei Animation Co. Ltd. to create a cartoon that would be safe for young American audiences (Anime: now with 100% less kaiju sex). It wasn’t until 2000 that World Events Productions in St. Louis was able to buy the rights from Toei and start developing TV and film projects. It’s been slow going, but the TV show (Voltron Force) is set to premier on Nicktoons this May.
As for the films, a bidding war has just broken out over feature film rights to Voltron. Among those competing for the rights are Relativity Media, who would likely incorporate the script currently in development:
Atlas Entertainment producers Charles Roven (The Dark Knight Rises) and Richard Suckle [Ed- Wait, his name is Dick Suckle? Is this real life?] had been developing a script with screenwriters Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (who wrote the upcoming Conan the Barbarian reboot), and concept art had leaked last fall. But considering how long this project has been rumored, rudimentary-anime fetishists dared not raise their hopes. Now, news of the eager big-money suitors means this could finally actually happen. [Vulture]
If it does finally actually happen, they’ll likely schedule the release near Voltron’s 30th birthday in 2014. I’ll totally watch this if they cast the girl to the upper right as Voltron. Or just use four real cats taped to a fifth cat. Adorable.
[Picture via angryasianman]
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I loved the upcoming Conan movie! And the new Batman movie that’s not out yet was great!
How am I supposed to decide if this is good or bad news if I have no basis to judge the writers on?
Michael Bay will end up as the director and will then proceed to add as many explosions as he can get away with,especially during the actual lions-to-robot reconfigurations….Oh goody.
Right on, Apostate, but you forgot the stunningly beautiful female lead and the scrawny, dorky, ‘not-in-a-million-years-in-real-life-would-you-ever-score-with-the-female-lead’ male role.