'Voltron' Movie Rights Spark a Studio Bidding War

It's no secret Hollywood has an affinity with the idea of rebooting and adapting.  And, more recently, the idea of adapting all things pop-culture from the 1980s.  So it really shouldn't surprise anyone that studios have been trying for years to adapt a live action version of the animated television series Voltron for the big screen, especially when the last giant-robot-series-from-the-'80s-turned-big-screen-event (Transformers) has raked in over a billion dollars worldwide.

But for some reason, even though multiple scripts have been written and concept images mocked up, there's been no real movement in getting these robots to a theater near you.  Until now.  And what large movement it is as a multi-studio bidding war has begun.  Hit the jump to find out why this go 'round may just be the time Voltron actually gets to defend the universe.

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'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."

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Director Named for 'Voltron' Movie

There's more news out of Camp Voltron. You remember Voltron, right? Kind of lumped in there with Transformers in the 1980s, and for the sake of convenience, let's just say they're pretty much the same thing, as far as someone unfamiliar with it is concerned. (After all, Transformers did eventually absorb the Voltron brand...) The movie, unfortunately, was being conceived years before Transformers, so it's going to take a back seat again since the Michael Bay movie franchise is going to get even bigger next summer. But Latino Review reports that we now have a director for Voltron, and at least on paper, it's an unexpected choice that could pan out. The new guy's name is Max Makowski, and while you may have seen the episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that he directed, chances are you have no idea who he is. But look at the stuff he's working on: A movie for Universal based on the Japanese classic Shinobi, plus the screenplays for the Hawaii Five-O and Kung Fu adaptations. At the very least, it seems as if the Brazilian-born Makowski can take you places if he has a map. Granted, we don't really have the results from any of these projects, but he keeps lining 'em up, so you'd have to think there's something to it all. I do think it's wise to pick a guy with a lot of experience adapting screenplays rather than writing originals. They can be a different process, as you have to understand the overall flow of the concept going in, determining what elements from the original make sense and which ones don't, and when you're carving up something audiences already have familiarity with, you have to be careful about what stays and what goes. The other reason I'm giving Makowski the benefit of the doubt is because he's not a Michael Bay type. The only chance Voltron really has to survive is if it's radically different from what came before it. We had already heard that the movie would employ 300-style green screen technology, which is a start, and finding a director for whom we have no preconceived notions seems like the right thing to do.

Voltron Movie Might Still Come Together

We've heard that a Voltron movie was coming, and of course, it definitely made sense after the spectacular success of Transformers last summer. Why no Gobots movie yet? It might have to do with Hasbro, which owns Transformers, buyinh out the rights to Gobots years ago and in 2002 a toy series called Transformers: Gobots was released. So, they've been assimilated into that product line, I guess. That's what my research tells me at any rate.As for Voltron, the plans to make it into a film have apparently been on the table since well before Transformers was announced. But now the film has been put into turnaround by a Fox subsidiary, according to Variety. Usually, that's a bad thing. However, Relativity Media may save the project, although on a smaller budget, "utilizing the type of cost-effective technology employed in films including 300." Producers Mark Gordon and Jordan Wynn are searching for a director, and Variety indicates that shouldn't take long. The script - or a script for Voltron: Defender of the Universe - is already in place thanks to Justin Marks, who also cranked out the new He-Man movie and the upcoming superhero flick, Green Arrow. It's intriguing to hear the comparison to 300 for Voltron. Because the script centers on five human survivors of an apocalypse who maneuver the lion-shaped robots that form Voltron, perhaps that cool green screen technology can work to create an effective apocalyptic landscape, offering a new look for Voltron, as well as being something completely different from Michael Bay's sun-kissed Transformers. Because the producers want to move quickly, we'll keep you posted if we hear about a director falling into place.