At this rate, My Little Pony: The Movie and Strawberry Shortcake starring Lindsay Lohan can't be far behind.
Another 1980s children's property is getting a modern makeover for the big screen, following in the footsteps of fellow afternoon cartoons He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Transformers, and Thundercats. Voltron: Defender of the Universe is a signature away from officially being next in the pipeline to be turned into a movie, according to Variety.
If the deal goes through, New Regency (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) will develop the picture with Mark Gordon set to produce. The Mark Gordon Co. has been molding the project for almost three years, and the recent box-office success of Transformers (almost $300 million domestically to date) was apparently enough to convince Hollywood that it needed another giant robot movie.
Voltron, which has been named dropped by the likes of The Wu-Tang Clan and featured in an awesome Sprite commercial in the late 1990s, originally aired in Japan and was localized for US audiences in 1984. The show aired during the height of the robots-turning-into-other-things craze and, like Transformers, was accompanied by a line of popular toys.
The show features five robotic lions--each designated by their color--piloted by humans and designed to defend the planet Arus from the attacks of King Zarkon. Voltron's main appeal came when the Voltron Force really needed to kick some butt--the five robotic lions would bond together to form a giant humanoid robot named Voltron.
The script from Justin Marks, who is also penning the He-Man movie, is set in a post-apocalyptic New York City that has been ravaged by an alien attack. Impressions of the script are already available on the Web and Marks' work has been showered with fanboy praise (link may contain spoilers and geeky bias).
No word on whether Pharell Williams of The Neptunes is still on board to score the flick.
For more information on the original television series, head over to TV.com's previous coverage.
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