'Voltron' Movie One Step Closer

United Talent Agency is now handling World Event Productions, and what that means to you is that we're getting a Voltron movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the agency is going to spread Voltron all over the place - an animated cable series, video games, toys, and a feature film. We can debate whether or not a talent agency should be in the production business, but you could turn back around and say production companies and studios are now functioning as talent agencies, too, so what's the difference? The film doesn't have a studio attached yet, but the production companies are in place and UTA is in the process of hiring a writer/writers. Not surprisingly, the movie will follow the Transformers model: "The pitch is expected to include the idea that, unlike other toy brands, Voltron -- in which five robot lions piloted by humans become a giant warrior -- allows for human-centric stories." The question is whether or not Voltron can follow the blueprint as successfully as Transformers has. My hunch is that it can't, primarily because it has no Steven Spielberg equivalent involved at this stage. He was long a believer in Transformers and put the right pieces in place for the first film to explode. And that's another reason Voltron might not break out the way UTA hopes: It's been done, and it damn sure won't be outdone. This trend with the toys and games is too widespread, and there will be a chilling effect sooner or later, perhaps sooner than later. Eventually, audiences will decide they've had enough of some very similar fare; it's cyclical. Horror movies do no business for two years and then in 2009 they're hot again. Go figure. But it's always good to be ahead of that curve, and I'm not sure that's going to be the situation here.

Comments

[whitewolf2k3]

Bad idea or not, i've got a huge soft spot for that robot lion.....here's hoping it's more like Transformers 1 and nowhere near GI Joe.

[whitewolf2k3]

Yes I did say Transformers 1 with a bit of a snicker, but hey compared to GI Joe.....

[Asana]

So long as it's the lions Voltron and not the cars Voltron. I hated the latter version with a certain seething passion as a kid and would not watch it.

[Orinn]

I would pay to see a Voltron in transformers style CGI.