A dream project for decades may finally become a reality. Variety reports Sony Pictures has acquired the rights for a feature film based on the popular classic anime Robotech. Mark Canton (300, Immortals) has been named producer, and Michael Gordon (GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra) has been tapped to write the film. A target release dat has not been named, but production could begin very quickly.
Producer Michael De Luca said the following about the project:
“Robotech is unique in that it has always been a marriage of spectacle with human characters that seem drawn from life. 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.”
Perhaps the most memorable parts of the Robotech series were the Veritechs, jet aircraft that could transform into giant robots. The villains were mainly 50 foot tall humanoids called the Zentraedi. This may sound farfetched to some, but with Guardians Of The Galaxy becoming the #1 film of 2014, farfetched may be quite marketable.
Robotech first hit American airwaves in 1985. The premise of an alien spacecraft crashlanding on Earth and getting refitted by humans, only to be thrust into an intergalactic war with giant aliens, captivated the imaginations of millions. While the series lasted 85 episodes with a story that spanned generations worthy of several Downton Abbeyseasons, ardent fans know that Robotech was actually a skillful blend of three completely unrelated Japanese anime series. The first, Superdimensional Space Fortress Macross, is credited with starting the whole transformable robot craze that ran wild in the 1980s. Creator Carl Macek was allegedly involved in a proposed movie adaption at the time of his death in 2010.
It is not confirmed whether the first film of a presumed franchise will involve the Macross era, but it would stand to reason that it would. Between Ghostbusters, a Marvel backed Spider-Man, and now Robotech, Sony Pictures may have several multi-million dollar franchises on the horizon.
If you want to know more about Robotech, check out The Geekville Podcast Episode 29. Special guest Norko Kipte joins to discuss all three series. It’s also available on iTunes.
