From the makers of He-Man comes Voltron...

[Xorn]

The new take on it seems interesting but way different from the actual story... See link:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43144&type=0

[zuludelta]

Marks' take is described as a post-apocalyptic tale of survival set in New York City and Mexico.

I'm usually very open-minded when it comes to artists using their creative license when adapting properties to fit other media but this seems to be ridiculously divergent. And by divergent, I mean "he obviously acquired the film rights just to cash in on the name recognition, and is probably going to offer something only tangentially related to the original Voltron property, if that."

[GogglesPizanno]

This is one of those cartoons that has a lot of love as children, but everyone i know who has tried to watch it now finds it utterly unwatchable, so maybe a radical departure is needed. Besides, we all know this is just a cash in on the success of Transformers anyway.

Plus since the late 80's there has been a serious lacking in the amount of post-apocalyptic tale's...

[zuludelta]

This is one of those cartoons that has a lot of love as children, but everyone i know who has tried to watch it now finds it utterly unwatchable...

This statement really got me thinking, Voltron didn't really age as well as many of the earlier "giant robot" anime that had success outside of Japan like Daimos, Voltes V, and Mazinger Z. I think it may have something to do with the fact that it always seemed to be written for younger viewers, whereas the earlier stuff had more mature storylines that just happened to have an all-ages appeal.

[lugaru]

Huge Mazinger Z fan here.

Yeah, obviosly the Voltron thing is just cashing in on transformers but it's not like Im losing some big part of my childhood, honestly with comic books I feel like there is this big intellectual legacy of creators but with most cartoons and toy's there is not much to lose. Like if they made a GI-JOE movie it would bug me because of the awesome comic, not the laughable (by todays standards) cartoon.

[GogglesPizanno]

Like if they made a GI-JOE movie it would bug me because of the awesome comic, not the laughable (by todays standards) cartoon.

**begin threadjack**

Ironically, the producer of Transformers IS making a GI Joe movie.
The current front runner for director is Stephen Sommers (The guy who did the Mummy movies) and the talk is that they wanted Mark Walburg for Duke...

**end threadjack**

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Actually, I don't think this take is necessarily a bad one.  Set it in an earth ravaged by alien invaders, and it could work.

[zuludelta]

Actually, I don't think this take is necessarily a bad one.  Set it in an earth ravaged by alien invaders, and it could work.

I'm sure it can potentially be a good film if everything falls into place (and if the CG is anywhere close to the quality in Transformers, I'll be in line to see it with everybody else), I just don't think it's a prudent creative and commercial move to veer so far away from the original material. One of the main reasons why any production company would acquire a property's film rights is to take advantage of the built-in audience for that property. Tinker with the property too much and you risk alienating that core consumer base, defeating the purpose of acquiring the rights in the first place. Of course, it can be argued that the dedicated Voltron fanbase is small enough that it's worth it to risk their dissatisfaction if the film ends up appealing to a lot more non-Voltron fans. I'm just not sure that non-Voltron fans will buy into another live-action giant robot franchise after Transformers (I think a good number of viewers know when a film is just looking to cash in on a trend).

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I really don't see how this is tinkering with the premise.  The basic premise is that a group of young soldier on a devastated ruined planet under attack by alien creatures finds the remain of a legendary warrior robot.  While the planet in question was not originally Earth, there is no reason why it couldn't be.

[zuludelta]

Sticking to the "basic premise" isn't really saying much at this point. There are only a limited number of original stories ("basic premises", if you will) one can tell anyway, so unique appeal will have to come down to the execution of the details (and it's the people familiar with the character who'll be harping on those). I mean, Catwoman stuck to the generally accepted "basic premise" of the character and look at how that turned out (you'd think it would be a no-brainer selling a movie with Halle Berry jumping around in heels and a skintight leather outfit  :lol:).

Anyway, I'm not really a fan of the property and not up for debating the supposed merits and non-merits of this upcoming film, it's just that the combination of "post-apocalyptic Mexico" and "Voltron" struck me as odd and unintuitive from a particular perspective. 

[Ajax]

Anyway, I'm not really a fan of the property and not up for debating the supposed merits and non-merits of this upcoming film, it's just that the combination of "post-apocalyptic Mexico" and "Voltron" struck me as odd and unintuitive from a particular perspective. 

At least it isn't "post apocalyptic New York/LA/Tokyo".

I'm a classic Voltron fan and though there are certain things that aged poorly (the dialogue is a bit repetitve and too explanatory), the heart of the show is still fun. Has the possibility of being a good popcorn movie.

[lugaru]

Anyway, I'm not really a fan of the property and not up for debating the supposed merits and non-merits of this upcoming film, it's just that the combination of "post-apocalyptic Mexico" and "Voltron" struck me as odd and unintuitive from a particular perspective. 

I just hope they dont do what they do in EVERY movie, which is present Mexico as this destitute mad max wasteland where no building has more than three walls or a roof. Sure, there's some places that are really badly off and I even dated somebody living under super poor conditions but the idea that Mexico is this place where the wild west is still alive is just annoying.

[Pyroclasm]

I just hope they dont do what they do in EVERY movie, which is present Mexico as this destitute mad max wasteland where no building has more than three walls or a roof. Sure, there's some places that are really badly off and I even dated somebody living under super poor conditions but the idea that Mexico is this place where the wild west is still alive is just annoying.

But it's Post-Apocalyptic Mexico, which means that type of "Mad Max" landscape is perfect. ;)

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Actually I found what is supposed to be a review of the current script, which says it does start in New York. . . but it still sounds awesome.

http://www.latinoreview.com/scriptreview.php?id=65

[the_ultimate_evil]

here's hoping his he-man script is more faithful than his voltron, from the rumoured reports its not :(

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

READ THE STINKING LINK!

Sheesh.

[the_ultimate_evil]

READ THE STINKING LINK!

Sheesh.

i was actually referring to the rumours of his he-man script, i have no interest in voltron

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Well, you're passing judgment on his Voltron script without reading the link that shows that it's actually quite faithful.  Or at least as much as it should be.  (Do you really want comedic space mice?)

Also keep in mind that it's based as much on the more serious and violent Japanese series as the American one.

[lugaru]

It seems likely I grew up on the japanese one since I remember some violence and honestly we would get the japanese version of everything (I remember watching Dragon Ball on Cartoon network and cracking up at the edits). Either way If I dont look back and this is a good movie I'll probably not ruin my own memory of the show (which I can bet 50 - 1 is better than the show) and enjoy the movie without looking for anything other than 5 color coded robots with pilots.

[thanoson]

This sounds very interesting.

[the_ultimate_evil]

Well, you're passing judgment on his Voltron script without reading the link that shows that it's actually quite faithful.  Or at least as much as it should be.  (Do you really want comedic space mice?)

Also keep in mind that it's based as much on the more serious and violent Japanese series as the American one.

i couldn't tell you if its faithful to voltron or its not an ounce like the source as i've never seen it