Don't you wish someone would make a live-action movie based on a popular cartoon from the '80s about giant robots?
No, not that one, I'm talking about Voltron. Variety reports that Voltron: Defender of the Universe is finally on the cusp of getting made. Of course, the success of Transformers has helped quite a bit as far as stirring up interest. New Regency and the Mark Gordon Company are close to finalizing a deal to start production on the movie. New Regency's other live-action adaptation is Alvin and the Chipmunks. Eek.
The original Voltron animated series showed up on American TV screens as a dubbed and heavily-edited version of the original Japanese cartoon. Voltron was a gigantic, shape-shifting robot made up of several smaller robots (sometimes robotic lions, sometimes vehicles, depending on the series). A CGI version also popped up in the '90s.
The film version will take place on a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by alien invaders. Five survivors wind up piloting the robotic lions that combine to form Voltron, humanities last chance to defeat the alien menace.
Justin Marks, the screenwriter for the project, is also writing the script for the Masters of the Universe feature film.
My prediction: also expect a live-action Strawberry Shortcake film in the next couple years.
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Let's talk about spoilers ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-10-2007 @ 11:11AM
Princess Allura said...
Ugh. . NOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leave Voltron alone. I'm tired of all these updated angsty over the top CGI revisionings of what was a good thing back then. So what kind of feature length ad will this be? Toys, or cars?
I give up.
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8-10-2007 @ 11:51AM
Gordy said...
...and I'll form THE HEAD! Man...take me back...
A Voltron movie could be cool...but I think we all know it won't be. I agree, leave Voltron alone.
[sPoiLeR] The only reason I liked the Transformers movie is because Optimus finally beat Megatron--kinda/sorta (it was Optimus' idea, at least). Other than that, there were way too many people in it. The 'bots were more props than characters, which was disgraceful.
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8-10-2007 @ 12:45PM
pgwp said...
Once again the GoBots get the shaft.
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8-10-2007 @ 1:24PM
h8rain said...
Where's the G.I. Joe movie? OOOOO how about a M.A.S.K. movie :)
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8-12-2007 @ 12:31PM
mseve68 said...
What's next! Battle of the Planets? Ultra Man? Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot?
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8-10-2007 @ 3:12PM
Valerie said...
Well why not? We now have all this 'Cool' technology, so we need to show it off by remaking everything. Then after we remake everything, we will have SEQUELS (from the movies that made money, of course). Independent filmmakers can't make these movies and put them up on YouTube, so remaking the familiar is much easier because it secures the studios (for a while) with big tent-pole box office revenue, allows big stars to continue to make $30 million a picture, and a lot of people (who do the actual work) employed for decades...Hollywood Economics 101.
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8-11-2007 @ 4:58PM
Jaymez said...
What was the name of the Voltron knockoff that aired around the same time? I remember the Go Bots/Transformer thing, but I can't remember the name of the Voltron knockoff.
Then again, Power Rangers was basically a Voltron knockoff, too. At least from the clips I saw it was.
Oh, h8rain, don't fuck with M.A.S.K. :) That was my favorite cartoon as a kid, I even found some of the first season episodes online at tvlinks.co.uk. I do NOT want to see that remade, mainly because of the cheesey techno music that filled the show. I don't want to hear new versions of that stuff. Besides, no car could match the awesomeness of Thunderhawk.
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8-13-2007 @ 1:28PM
La-Di-Dah said...
I enjoyed Transformers, but I have to tell you, the first time I saw the ad, I turned to my brother and cried "Voltron, defender of the universe," to which he rolled his eyes ... no, not voltron. See, when I was growing up abroad, we came to appreciate the cartoons that were already a decade old, but finally made it to our tv screens. I guess I am Voltron's generation, sort of, and would love to see it on the biggie screen.
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9-05-2007 @ 10:45AM
KiethBlackLion said...
I've read the script and it's better than I had expected but not as great as I had hoped. It needs some polishing then it could be a really great movie.
My review for the script is at http://www.geocities.com/kiethblacklion/Scriptreview.html
Check it out, but be warned, there are major spoilers in it.
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