Live-Action VOLTRON Movie is Alive and Well!

Earlier this week it was reported that the live-action Voltron movie was scrapped in favor of a new rebooted animated TV series of the classic 80's TV show. I'm happy to tell you that today we've learned a live-action Voltron movie is actually in development! Who confirmed it? The films producers, Richard Suckie and Ted Koplar. The animated series that is coming out will serve as a lead-in to the live-action movie, which is what I suspected it was for.

The two producers sat down with MTV and cleared everything up regarding Voltron, and they even talk about how they are going to approach making the movie. 

They are on the verge of hiring an A-level screenwriter to write the script. 

We've been working over the last several months meeting with various screenwriters, and we're actually on the cusp of securing an A-level screenwriter who's going to write the "Voltron" movie. That's all part of the plan here: reintroducing the brand to the fans who've watched over the last 25 years and to a new generation. We are very close to securing a screenwriter who's going to actually write the feature version — so that's always been part of the plan.

Screenwriter Justin Marks was actually hired to write a script at one point, but according to the producers that script won't be used because they are starting from scratch. It will be interesting to see who it is they hire to write the script.

We are [starting from scratch]. As far as Atlas Entertainment, we've never been involved in any of the previous versions, so I can't speak to them. We came in and said we want to talk about the property and build it from the ground up, because we have a particular way we want to approach it.

So I bet your wondering how they will approach it now, aren't you? Well, here is their answer.

As much as it has a very strong robot element, this is a movie and a franchise that is driven by characters — these five people that in some or another are a representation of all of us. It's really about how you have five different personalities working together in order to come together to form Voltron.

The whole show is about teamwork — about a group of kids with various backgrounds who learn that the only way they'll succeed is through the positive parts of each one's background and bringing it together to make the robot work.

It's not like we're doing anything far different from the source material other than to make it a character-driven film. The effects, the 3-D... The eye candy is the easy part. It's got to be a movie that has really dynamic, interesting characters and a really strong narrative. You know the eye candy is going to be there, because it's part of the fabric of the original material.

So that character-driven element is really what we're focusing on, and that's what the writers that we've been talking to have been told about what we want and what we're looking for.

I like what I'm hearing. Character and story are the key elements to any successful film, so as long as they stick to what they're saying, this movie should end up being a great character driven story with incredible special effects! They go on to talk about pleasing the fans of the origanl series saying,

You have to update it and give it a fresh coat of paint for 2010-2011 and beyond. At the same time, it's important to have those certain nostalgic elements. It's not that we have to hit those moments over the head, but there should be stuff within the visuals — if not also in the dialogue and the references — that make those people who grew up watching the show feel like we are taking great care to both satisfy you and introduce new stuff that feels like it lives organically in the 25 years Voltron has existed.

They go on to say that several directors have approached them about directing the film, but they won't name names. It's also revealed that the movie will most likely hit theaters sometime in 2013.

There's no doubt these guys have learned from the mistakes that Michael Bay made with Transformers, and Stephen Sommers made with G.I. Joe. I have a good feeling that Voltron is going to end up being one of the best 80's cartoon adaptations that we've seen so far. I'll tell ya, this interview makes me believe that they know what they're doing, and that they'll deliver the fans a solid Voltron film.

What do you all think?