Good news I suppose for all us Robotech fans still holding that candle for the promised big screen adaptation. Sony has picked up the movie rights after Warner Bros. took too long to do nothing with the potential lucrative property. Will this be the big kick in the ass that jumpstarts Robotetch‘s journey to movie theaters?
According to the last update we got in February, the live-action film version of the popular ’80s Japanese anime import was apparently once again on the fast track at Warner Bros. and in the hands of their in-house production team Hollywood Gang headed by Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari.
Variety reports Sony has secured the rights with sights on Robotech as a potential franchise, which is a no-brainer since the show’s story spanned three generations as humanity fought against giant humanoid alien invaders using transforming mecha. Harmony Gold adapted three separate popular Japanese cartoons into one epic 85-episode story arc in bringing the show to U.S. airwaves in 1986.
I feel anyone keeping optimistic tabs on all the false starts with this adaptation are by now probably very much rightfully beyond the “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me” mentality while the property was trapped in development hell in WB’s hands. So hopefully Sony will finally get this moving, likely adapting the first and most popular chapter, The Macross Saga.
Robotech is on the fast track at Sony with the same above the line Hollywood Gang team Warners had in place earlier this year, including 300 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra screenwriter Michael Gordon.
“Robotech is unique in that it has always been a marriage of spectacle with human characters that seem drawn from life,” said Columbia Pictures Production Chief Michael De Luca. “That’s why we are so excited to be working with Mark and Gianni as we move forward on this project. With a history that offers an epic love triangle, a renegade hero, and a world on the brink of extinction, Robotech offers a wide scope and a rich and impressive universe where the story possibilities are endless.”
The property has remained popular over the years as a cult franchise among the Comic-Con crowd through the release of direct-to-video sequels, novels and role playing games. With the phenomenal box office success of the adaptation of Transformers on the big screen since 2007, and more recently with Pacific Rim, it seemed like a only matter of time before the giant robots themed Robotech would be the next in line. Not so it seems so far.
“When the rights to Robotech became available we jumped. Mark and I knew it had what big movies in today’s world must have if they want to grab everyone: insane visuals and powerful themes,” Gianni Nunnari told Variety. “The characters in Robotech wrestle with both the destructive and redemptive powers of technology; nothing is more relevant today than that.”
“Robotech is a very significant and legendary part of the growth of anime into the force that it is today, and we’re excited to be adapting it for modern audiences,” said Mark Canton.
SOURCE: Variety
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