Michael Bay may be done with giant robots, but the rest of Hollywood isn’t. THR reports that Relativity Media has optioned the rights to turn the anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe into a live-action movie. For those who have never seen the show before, it revolves around five pilots who control Robot Lions, ultra powerful robots that when joined together form the mighty Voltron, who one assumes defends the universe.
For all of you who instantly thought of The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you aren’t alone; I mistook Voltron for the MegaZord on a quick glance. The show made its way stateside in 1984 and ran for two years where the cult following developed. 300,000 DVD’s and a spin-off cartoon on NickToons later it’s time to milk that franchise on the big screen.
The screenplay is being handled by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. Donnelly recently wrote the script for next month’s Conan the Barbarian while Oppenheimer is best known for penning Sahara, the 2005 film starring Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn. Voltron fans, you can commence panicking.
Since the project is still in the writing stage, there is no idea on when it will be shot or who will be directing so expect more information to be given as time goes on. This news was unveiled during a Voltron-specific panel at the San Diego Comic Con earlier today.
If you’re one of the many who belong to the cult of Voltron, do you have any faith in Relativity to do it justice or do you think that something will get lost in the transition, much like what happened with Godzilla in 1998?