If you are going to make a mech robot movie, you should make a Robotech movie, period. Many people enjoyed director Guillermo del Toro’s giant robot versus kaiju movie, Pacific Rim. Know what would have made everybody like the movie even more? If it was a Robotech movie…
The 1980’s animated saga about a long war between humans and an alien race has been trying to get off the ground for years. The project has passed through numerous hands, with Spider-Man’s Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio getting dangerously close to getting it made a few years ago. According to Variety, Sony has acquired the property from Warner Bros, here is what they had to say.
The studio hopes to move quickly into production on the live-action feature, with Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton (“300,” “The Immortals”) producing and Michael Gordon (“300,” “GI Joe”) writing the script. The series centered on humanity’s use of robot technology to fend off alien invaders and has an “Independence Day” meets “Star Wars” vibe. It is seen as having the global appeal necessary to become a blockbuster property.
The project will be overseen at Sony Pictures by Sony Pictures Entertainment Group President Doug Belgrad, Columbia Pictures Production Chief Michael De Luca, and Sony Pictures Vice President of Creative Production Matthew Milam.
“‘Robotech’ is unique in that it has always been a marriage of spectacle with human characters that seem drawn from life,” said 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.”
It makes sense that WB may have wanted to cut its losses. They have full slate of DC Comics’ themed projects on their slate over the next five years. It could be possible that they were never going to allocate the financial resources necessary, to make a quality Robotech movie. Hopefully WB was paid well because the franchise has the potential to be huge for Sony.
Robotech’s structure is perfectly designed for an film trilogy. Americans saw a combination of three shows that were combined into three seasons of Robotech in the 80’s. The first season was known as the “Macross Saga,” it centered around an alien ship that crash lands on Earth which quickly advances human technology. However the extraterrestrials eventually come back for the ship, sparking an intergalactic war. Robotech not only had trendsetting visuals, but it was also maturely scripted and executed, which gave the anime a strong adult, cinematic feel. If they can successfully translate the show’s appeal and dynamic action, Sony may have made the best decision since partnering with Marvel Studios over Spider-Man.
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Source: Variety