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VOLTRON Interlock Almost Activated!!

Published at:  Aug 18, 2008 8:14:05 AM CDT


Merrick here...

The long-gestating VOLTRON film project is being re-shaped with the hopes of finally getting it on-track and into theaters.



Ryan Kavanaugh's financing and production venture Relativity Media is in negotiations to back the property, though on a more moderate budget, utilizing the type of cost-effective technology employed in films including "300."


...says THIS ARTICLE in Variety.

I don't know much about VOLTRON, although the robo-thingies evidently have "megathruters"...which is cool by me in a "turbo boost" sort of way.



Okay, so I'm confused. I'm gathering some level of cross-influence occurred between VOLTRON and Super Sentai (POWER RANGERS) - if only by virtue of both properties coming from Toei and Bandai. But I'm not clear which informed which. Anyone out there know more? DROP ME A LINE, or discuss in the Talkbacks below!

Remember late last year/earlier this year when a contingent of folks believed that CLOVERFILED, which was still mysterious at that point, was actually a cover for VOLTRON? Strange days.

You can find more details about Voltron HERE.

















    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:40:41 AM CDT

    Pffff

    by judge_dredd

    Pass on this thanks. What pile of shit.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:41:35 AM CDT

    Voltron should be the villain

    by virtual satyr

    in the next Batman movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:42:00 AM CDT

    ROBOTS!!!! BIG ROBOTS!!!

    by foreverguardian

    Always a pleasure. Especially when they have cats for hands...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:43:31 AM CDT

    Michael Bay!

    by el-guappo

    Michael Bay to direct!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:44:14 AM CDT

    No way this project calls for Paul W S Anderson!

    by judge_dredd

    Or Uwe Bollocks

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:46:50 AM CDT

    Judge_Dredd

    by el-guappo

    You are truly a man with a vision greater than mine! How could I have overlooked Uwe? I am ashamed...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:49:07 AM CDT

    Big Mistake

    by sebilrazen

    Making this Earth Centric, our religion and iconography isn't tied to big fucking cats. Planet Arus had an entire mythology based on the cats, hence the Voltron legend. What the fuck happened to "long ago and far away" as thematic elements?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:52:15 AM CDT

    AWESOME!

    by stlfilmwire

    This needs to get going now! This is awesome! They better shoot it before us fans of the series die of old age!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:53:18 AM CDT

    And I'll form the HEAD!

    by gihaadwarts

    You couldnt pay me to go see this.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:57:50 AM CDT

    Why?

    by el-guappo

    The idea of alien attack survivors is cool but like Sebilrazen said, why have cat robots if there is nothing in our history to base that on? "We've got to fight these aliens!" "I know what to do let's build some giant cats!" "Yeah, that'll scare the crap outta them!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:59:16 AM CDT

    it was great when I was 8- but now...no thanks

    by jugdish

    Besides it'll be impossible to make live action.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:02:27 AM CDT

    Merrick

    by amano

    I do believe Voltron came before Power Rangers. I forget the original name of the cartoon, but it came out a long time ago.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:03:26 AM CDT

    The script looks like shit

    by mr slippy fist

    The movie takes place entirely on Earth in a post -apocalyptic NYC and Mexico? Also, no mention of Arus, Zarkon, or Haggar? I know the Japanese version began on Earth after a nuclear war, but why change up most plot points? Got to love Hollywood and their typical BS.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:07:19 AM CDT

    ~~~VOLTRON CAME FIRST, RANGERS AFTER~~~

    by the marquis de side 3

    it was Power Rangers that took all their cues from Voltron.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:08:23 AM CDT

    ~~~STILL CAN'T SEE THIS BEING POSSIBLE...~~~

    by the marquis de side 3

    just how do you make a live action Voltron movie without it being EXACTLY like a Power rangers episode?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:09:45 AM CDT

    Sentai (the basis of Power Rangers) came before Golion

    by themikejonas

    ...and in the show "Battle Fever J," had a giant robot a couple of years before "Golion" (the basis of Lion Voltron). The first *combining* Super Sentai Robot was in the Sentai show "Sun Vulcan," which came out the same year as Golion.

    HOWEVER, combining robots akin to Golion/Voltron have been in anime since at least 1974, with Getter Robo; other notable pre-Golion combining robots include Combattler V and Voltes V.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:10:48 AM CDT

    Merrick, Super Sentai Came First...barely

    by prof_ender

    It's hard to pinpoint "exactly" which came first. But the first Super Sentai show is credited to Shotaro Ishinomori (creator of CYBORG 009 and KAMEN RIDER) back in 1975. The show was called GORANGER. It's worth noting because a few years prior, GATCHAMAN (aka G FORCE aka BATTLE OF THE PLANETS) came out in 1972, and before that CYBORG 009 came out in the 60's; these were both team-based anime and inspired the live-action sentai shows. And one cannot ignore the "super robot" shows of the 70's that...bah, I'm getting to into this. But to answer your question, SUPER SENTAI came out before VOLTRON. ^_^

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:12:21 AM CDT

    Just make Robotech already.

    by knuckleduster

    Who's doing that one again? Leo or Jake, I think. Anyhoo, planes turning into giant robots with giant guns. Can't beat that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:13:20 AM CDT

    Voltron First

    by johnspartan

    Voltron preceded Power Rangers, at least on American TV, by at least five and maybe ten years. Like D. Vader, I was watching Voltron along with Thundercats, Transformers, G.I. Joe and Tigersharks back in the mid to late eighties. I think of Power Rangers being more contemporary with Pokemon. For the love of all that's Holy, I pray to God that ten years from now Michael Bay doesn't start making revisionist Pokemon movies as the kids who were watching cartoons in the early to mid nineties hit their full earning/being-marketed-to potential. Can you imagine? The horror...the horror...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:13:49 AM CDT

    As long as somebody says:

    by d_t

    "...and I'll form the head!", I'm there. I'm assuming like every EP this will run for like 1:45 then in the last 2 minutes they'll just pull out a big sword and chop the monster in two.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:13:49 AM CDT

    It's a lion!!!! ;)

    by wowsucks

    Voltron was first and could kick the power rangers ass. Stupid knock off. For the record I expect this movie to suck either way! Most likely they will try to make eye candy for the kiddies by crossing power rangers and voltron. (which should equal jail time)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:17:57 AM CDT

    Addendum: Timeline

    by themikejonas

    Getter Robo (first anime centered around a combining robot): 1974
    Goranger (first Sentai, no giant robot): 1975
    Combattler V: 1976
    Voltes V: 1977
    Battle Fever J (first "Super Sentai" giant robot): 1979
    Golion (basis of Voltron): 1981
    Sun Vulcan (first combining Super Sentai robot): 1981
    Voltron: 1984
    Power Rangers: 1993

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:22:09 AM CDT

    Star Blazers

    by mastidon

    OK, so much for Voltron. When is somebody going to make a Star Blazers film?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:23:37 AM CDT

    TOO SOON!!!!!!!!

    by pageiv

    I had a thing for that blonde on the space voltron. Still do, dont tell the wife.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:25:40 AM CDT

    Lions from Arus, not Anus

    by thenedain

    Last I knew the current script dealt with the whole mess-up between film being based on Earth and the Lions being from Arus by making Arus a sister planet across the universe that happens to also have some kind of dimensional wormhole or some such shit connecting the two. IIRC, the idea was that long ago the technology for Voltron ended up on Earth and our 'beloved' heroes are the jabronis who end up finding and using it. Sound sucky? Probably. The post-apocalyptic thing sounded at least somewhat promising at least.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:26:52 AM CDT

    :) Actually. Low buget porn flick!! Think about it.

    by wowsucks

    4 guys, 1 girl.. nuff said. ;) Hmm. or was it 2 girls? Pretty sure one, that princess chick.. Man been a while. Damn now I feel like getting stoned and watching Greatest American Hero.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:36:10 AM CDT

    What are you kids retarded?

    by erykthebat

    Super Sentai predates both Voltron and Golion, just cause it came on cartoon express before it came on Fox doesnt mean that the anime was first, hell if you can remember back far enough there was another super sentai that got translated in ameraica , Dynaman and that came out the same year as voltron and was also a combiner superrobo

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:39:38 AM CDT

    Dynaman in Japan...

    by erykthebat

    Came out before US voltron but after Japanesse GoLion. But hell most of you will go DUUUR Voltron came out first so Power rangers ripped dem off Duuuuuuurrrr. Because you are mouthbreathing retards and should kill yourselves before you spawn.

    Reply to Talkback

  • It was like one really annoying dude

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:39:48 AM CDT

    will it have giantdwarves in?

    by smorgasbord

    or was it dwarfgiants?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:42:42 AM CDT

    Maybe Cloverfield IS the first Voltron movie

    by mistere

    Maybe Voltron will be an epic saga like Lord of the Rings, and will require a trilogy of films to tell the story. Cloverfield was part one and introduced the villain of the piece. Or not.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:57:56 AM CDT

    the cloverfield thing...

    by bouncy x

    i still find it sadly hilarious how some people seriously thought cloverfield was voltron. i remember seeing people defending that "fact" pretty hard core around here. and the funnier part is that it was all because someone misheard a line, there wasnt any kind of visual evidence, no robots or anything, just a dumbass who swore they said lion. now that isnt bad on its own, but its the fact they came to the conclusion that "lion being uttered = voltron movie". sad, sad, sad little children.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:00:55 AM CDT

    We're one step closer to my dream movie...

    by doctahjonesdoll

    ....The Wonder Twins live action motion picture.

    "Form of...purple water!" IT'S GOLD, JERRY! PURE GOLD!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:07:18 AM CDT

    Androgynous scrappy doo kid character

    by fico

    it has to be in this

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:08:07 AM CDT

    Voltron? Who cares! GIMME MY LIVE-ACTION ROBOTECH!!!

    by royston lodge

    I watched Voltron as a kid. I owned the toys. This still doesn't excite me. I don't care. I DIDN'T watch Robotech as a kid. I DIDN'T own the Robotech toys. Yet a Robotech movie gets me way more excited. Why? Story. Story. Story.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:09:40 AM CDT

    Right now, I'm imagining an R-rated Pokemon movie...

    by royston lodge

    You could turn that franchise into ONE HELL of a horror flick!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:27:07 AM CDT

    Oh, and screw Voltron...

    by mistere

    ...bring on Science Ninja Team Gatchaman!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:33:31 AM CDT

    You guys need a primer

    by bentley_bear

    Ambassador Magma (Space Giants) is the first tokusatsu TV show. It predates (by a few weeks) Ultraman.
    There are knockoffs (Johnny Sokko and the like) once the Japanese studios figure out the formula.

    Kamen Rider hits the airwaves in 1971 and it is still on today. I was introduced to Kamen Rider V3 and I still have the rider toy with removable helmet. This was a human sized tokusatsu program.

    [I used to have the belt for Inazuman but my son broke all the pieces a couple of years ago, still have the action figure]

    Super Sentai (Power Rangers) - GoRanger comes on in 1975 and is a hit as it combines elements of both human sized and oversized elements*. (* Oversized, not meanting giant robot yet. I know, I had the toys and still have GoRanger #2 with the cape, belt, and removable hemlet)
    I loved this show, it taught me to speed read (the translations)

    Trying to find a formula to match Kamen Riders success, the makers struggle and license characters from Marvel Comics. The result is a Spider-man version complete with giant robot and alien spiders and a Super Sentai version called Battle Fever J with Captian America (which looks nothing like the US versions).

    The Sentai Series following the Battle Fever J, Denjiman, includes the now common transforming robot.

    Voltron is an 80s property both in Japan and America.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:37:18 AM CDT

    Voltron Raped My Childhood!

    by mindraven

    Now give me some Tranzor fuckin' Z! Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Oh yeah...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:39:43 AM CDT

    Bring on Tranzor Z!!!

    by mr slippy fist

    And the chick robot that shoots tittie missiles!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:46:51 AM CDT

    Big animal robots...really?

    by sappers forward

    Why? I guess if you're 12 and you haven't discovered girls yet it would be cool. Seriously though, when are they going to make a live action Warhammer 40K movie?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:50:19 AM CDT

    If big animal robots...

    by mindraven

    ... are for before you discover girls, is Warhammer 40k for after you discover that they don't want anything to do with you?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:53:54 AM CDT

    megathruters?

    by g-ride9000

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:56:57 AM CDT

    Remeber how there was the "Other" Voltron

    by g-ride9000

    It had many more parts and was based in a ship in space....same show different episodes.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:57:04 AM CDT

    Remeber how there was the "Other" Voltron

    by g-ride9000

    It had many more parts and was based in a ship in space....same show different episodes.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:57:37 AM CDT

    PAGING TOMBODET!! PAGING TOMBODET!!

    by bringingsexyback

    Your package has arrived!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:00:31 AM CDT

    BIG LIONIC ROBOTS > BAYFORMING CAR ROBOTS

    by bringingsexyback

    This movie will ass rape Bay and leave him traumatized forever.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:10:46 AM CDT

    Screw Voltron - Where the hell are the Thundercats???

    by lamerz

    Yeah, I went there...Thundercats, HOOOOOOOO!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:21:06 AM CDT

    WILL CLOVERFIELD MAKE AN APPEARANCE?

    by bringingsexyback

    That would be an awesome shoutout to the great unwashed geekdom.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:23:31 AM CDT

    Voltron was fun and cool.

    by niceguyeddie19

    I still get some enjoyment out of watching the original cartoons. It was basically about five space explorers who end up on a strange yet earth-like planet with a population in discord and later discover an ancient technology that must be reawakened, the technology of Voltron (the lions and mech you see in the video) in order to defeat an evil that plagues the planet.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:37:56 AM CDT

    I New The Effects Were Still Too Expensive

    by troutmaskreplicant

    Most probably it would have cost 300 million to translate an anime mecha series to live action. This is why it's taking so long for all these robot films. X-Men 3 couldn't even afford one scene with a Sentinel.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:43:07 AM CDT

    Megathruter? What is a megathruter?

    by xevoid

    I am assuming this is another of our dear AICN writer's wonderful attempts at spelling.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:58:16 AM CDT

    Form Blazing Sword!

    by raymar

    How come they never just formed the damn sword at the beginning of the fight anyway?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:00:56 AM CDT

    Voltron Versus Spectraman

    by picardsucks

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:01:25 AM CDT

    Voltron vs. A Giant Lion

    by abominable snowcone

    It's like, five robot lions vs one really big lion

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:05:49 AM CDT

    I agree.. Tranzor Z

    by slickyvonboner

    We need robot's with giant guns in their crotches and big missiles for tits. When I was a kid I always wanted to build a robot from junk like that one guy did.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:11:56 AM CDT

    Cloverfield is a Ro-Beast

    by telecomplainer

    That's right. Cloverfield was just a prequel to Voltron. Watch for Cloverfield 2: Go Lion Go! Coming Soon to a DVD player near you!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:11:57 AM CDT

    RE:SlickyVonBoner

    by wrath4771

    They didn't form blazing sword right off the bat because they had to stitch up the scenery first. What I thought was always funny was in one episode there was lots of Voltron stitiching up the scenery (i.e. using flame thrower, missiles, etc). The next episode it would be fire one missile at the Robeast and then give him the business with blazing sword. And for the record, they should just make an uber-kick butt animae Voltron film.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:25:19 AM CDT

    I saw it! its a cloverfield!

    by ironic_name

    what was the name of the "detective" who said he had evidence cloverfield was voltron?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:36:18 AM CDT

    Whats Next

    by samblackchvrch21

    I'd like to see some of the obscure stuff from teh 80's make its way to either a new series or a live action film. Thundercats, or MASK!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:47:15 AM CDT

    You know what?

    by anna valerious

    If they keep that stupid "Mad Max"-type storyline, I'm not seeing it. Sorry, but Hollywood produced live-action anime needs to be taken more seriously.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:55:43 AM CDT

    There's already a Power Rangers...

    by banzai rootskibango

    ...movie. How will this be any less silly. Not that I have a problem with Power Rangers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:57:33 AM CDT

    Created to sell toys

    by mo_green

    Whether VOLTRON came first or POWER RANGERS came first, they both were invented for one reason and one reason only: to sell toys to little kids. You have to buy each robot individually so you can put them all together to make the big one. It's not about creating some cool mythology or telling a great story. It's about SELLING TOYS to 8-YEAR-OLDS. No one should give this any more credit than that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:04:51 PM CDT

    Just don't bring Voltron to Earth

    by autodidact

    That would be lame as fuck. Remember Masters of the Universe. Even as an eleven year old I could smell the stank of that stink bomb a year before it came out, as soon as Starlog revealed that it would be set on Earth.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:11:41 PM CDT

    I SAW IT! ITS A LIGER!!

    by arcadiands

    ITS JUST ABOUT MY FAVORITE ANIMAL EVER! THEY'RE BRED FOR THEIR MAGICAL POWERS!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:18:53 PM CDT

    If I was Abrams

    by smackfu

    I would have put a 'deleted scene' on the DVD as a joke where in the last scene in the park with Hud vs Cloverfield Monster, a giant blazing sword comes out of nowhere and splits it in two.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:21:49 PM CDT

    viral trailer here

    by picardsucks

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qitm2uB1Re0

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:29:03 PM CDT

    Screw this, bring on Exo-Squad.

    by iamnicksaicnsn

    Or at least just the damn show on DVD. Punk-ass Universal.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:31:15 PM CDT

    GoLion GATTAI!!

    by godmars

    I love me some combiner anime.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:41:18 PM CDT

    When do we get Starzinger the movie?!

    by thenorthlander

    Toei rocks.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 12:49:22 PM CDT

    no subject

    by andillformthehead

    Go Voltron Force!!! 90% practical and 10% CGI. And the guy who plays Pidge has to wear a girly hair band.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 1:32:39 PM CDT

    Vehicle Voltron DVDs on 9/30!

    by leto iii

    ...So say we all. Fucking finally. The part of the series that's unfairly been stuck carrying Lion Voltron's jockstrap for years, now.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 1:52:52 PM CDT

    Haha what a universe that...

    by iron-kong

    Voltron and Cloverfield will forever be linked. At least in this part of the universe.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 1:59:34 PM CDT

    A Big O movie would be cooler

    by the eskimo

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:06:38 PM CDT

    Will the left arm be a giant clown ice cream cone?

    by iron-kong

    ala Venture Brothers

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:19:15 PM CDT

    Please God don't let this happen

    by captaintripps

    I loved Voltron as a kid. I watched it religiously, played Kieth in the back yard with my cousins, and of course, I had the cool Voltron figure that all the human figures fit in. I loved it so much that when my little brother started watching Power Rangers I constantly ragged on him about how much like Voltron it was (only waaaaay suckier.) In my heart I would love to see a live-action, huge-budget, big screen Voltron movie that would take all the best elements of the cartoon, throw out all the crap, and totally rock my nipples off. But in my brain I know that there is no way in HELL this movie will ever be made. Oh they may make a Voltron movie, but it is almost GUARANTEED to suck shit. It will fall into the same trap that Transformers did. It will focus WAY too much on lame jokes and pretty visuals in order to sell it to the median moviegoing public, instead of trying to tell a great story. Now before anyone else says that it's impossible to tell a great story given the source material, I'd like to remind everyone what an absolutely ridiculous concept Batman is in real life. 5 soldiers going to a strange planet and fighting giant monsters with an anthropomorphic robot made up of 5 smaller robots is no more or less ludicrous than a billionaire orphan who successfully takes on the entire criminal element of a large metropolitan city while dressed up like a bat. And in the mean time avoids overly-complex attempts on his life made by the ever-growing contingent of mad-men, mutants, lunatics and monsters that all seem uninterested with leaving Gotham to find an easier, more vulnerable city to pillage. But that doesn't mean it can't make a cool movie. Hollywood just won't let it happen. There are too many producers, investors, studio heads, and of course accountants to keep happy to take a chance and let someone try to do a GOOD Voltron movie as opposed to one that will be a guaranteed blockbuster. So while I'd love to see Keith, Lance, Hunk , Pidge, Princess Allura, and yes godammit, even Sven on the big screen, I really hope it never happens. It couldn't possibly be as cool as I want it to be, and I could really do without seeing Voltron piss on someone.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:20:45 PM CDT

    The car Voltron was incredibly retarded.

    by pops freshemeyer

    How the hell are they going to respond to a crisis if somebody steals the van or the helicopter? Idiots.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:28:29 PM CDT

    I loved Voltron as a kid...

    by kid z

    ...but as an adult, the shit that really bothers me about most anime is how most of the female characters always remind me of those hyper-needy, clingy, self-obsessed, diva type bad girlfriends we've all probably had the unfortunate experience of suffering through in college.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:32:05 PM CDT

    And yes, the all-car Voltron...

    by kid z

    ...the one with VW Minivans for feet... is equivalent to bat-nips and flames on Optimus Prime.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 2:53:58 PM CDT

    GUNTRON ALLIANCE FORCE

    by larry sellers

    http://tinyurl.com/2hrynt

    hilarious.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:00:25 PM CDT

    NOOOOOO!!!!!

    by fassbinder79

    I fucking hate this 300 green screen shit! That is REALLY disappointing to hear that they are going in that direction.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:19:47 PM CDT

    I'd rather see a Japanese studio do a live action VOLTRON

    by hikaru ichijo

    Dyna Man, Red Baron, Super Sentai, Mikizuki, Juspion... These are all great titles that feature a guy in a robot suit beating up a guy in a monster suit. That is a winning formula that an American production will never wrap it's head around properly.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:21:19 PM CDT

    Chicks dig giant robots!

    by derlanghaarige

    Where is my Megas XLR movie? With Tyler Labine as Coop!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:24:22 PM CDT

    Of course I hope that the Voltron movie will be dark and serious

    by derlanghaarige

    Maybe even...(drumroll)...realistic!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:28:55 PM CDT

    DerLanghaarige

    by larry sellers

    Would you like a HARD R with that? You know what I just realized? We need a black guy in this. Walter Emanuel Jones?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:31:20 PM CDT

    Today's Guest is a Robot

    by mindraven

    that is made up of five lions and waves a sword. Please welcome A Voltron. I'm Brian Fellows.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:33:25 PM CDT

    I'd rather would like to see someone doing

    by betasword

    I'd rather would like to see someone doing Mechwarrior and Metroid.
    sure, the Voltron-Fans would be freaking out, but however you look at this, it's hard to believe, that this Movie will be looking too different compared to the PowerRangers-Movie.

    And yes, I adm,it, that a Metroid-Movie might becoming a little bit too much reminding on Iron Man, but let's think about it: Samus' Suit can actually absorb compatible Technology to advance without the need of implementing these without timeloss.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:40:22 PM CDT

    Will they still make it so that

    by i am_notreal

    even though it's clear the blazing sword is the only weapon that will win the battle, they'll wait until dead last to use it? Even as a kid I started to wonder, why not just form the damn thing right off the bat and be done with it...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:42:05 PM CDT

    Screw Voltron and Robotech, MACROSS would be far better

    by brattain

    I'm hoping most of those wanting a "Robotech" (god, what a stupid title that has always been) movie are really talking about Macross. The overall Robotech "story" is complete crap, but Macross (especially including the outstanding Macross Frontier) weaves a much richer and more rewarding tapestry and certainly deserves a live-action film far more than the crap that Hollywood has been snatching up. Oh and FUCK Harmony Gold. Fuck them up their stupid asses.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 3:52:30 PM CDT

    Giant robots and lions oh my!

    by xiphos_2

    Its about damn time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:06:43 PM CDT

    Golion > Voltron

    by chief joseph

    Seriously guys, buy/rent Beast King GoLion. Two volumes of it are already out on DVD on R1 DVD.
    The hacked-up and censored Voltron looks like a joke in comparison to GoLion.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:07:38 PM CDT

    Power Rangers is not a Voltron Knock off

    by tuxedo dragon

    Power Rangers is not a Voltron Knockoff. Super Sentai predates Voltron/golion. And in any case the Japenese versions were made by the same company. The concept is an old concept in japan.

    Haim Saban wasn't trying to copy Voltron. He saw money to be made by paying Toei for Sentai footage and splicing it with american footage.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:19:22 PM CDT

    I fucking WORSHIPPED Voltron

    by sithdan

    I would watch Voltron religiously after school every damn day. My day wasn't complete without Voltron. My friends and I would get into trouble in school by drawing pictures of Voltron rather than by doing our math.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:23:27 PM CDT

    @ brattain

    by chief joseph

    Agree. Yet there are still plenty of dipshits on Usenet that swear Macek improved things with Robotech.
    Thankfully they seem to be a dying breed now that the Macross DVDs are out.
    Harmony Gold should die.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:23:36 PM CDT

    This works if Cloverfield is the Ro-Beast

    by mullah omar

    Abrams would be legendary if he sewed the films together like that. Maybe legendarily bad, but legendary nonetheless.


    For the record, I loved VOLTRON as a kid but when I tried to re-watch a few episodes a few years back, I got bored really quickly. I'm not looking forward to this film.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:47:28 PM CDT

    Bullshit!! This is just retarded... TWO WORDS!! SPEED RACER!!!

    by pomophobe

    EPIC FAIL!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:49:35 PM CDT

    SO Robotech is stupid name

    by phategod2

    But Macross make much more sense? I thinks someone is picking nits.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 4:59:46 PM CDT

    voltron begat power rangers

    by pakodoom

    voltron, while wildly successful, only featured robot lions, i believe bandai thought they could make more money by diversifying the robot zoo-ology and introduced power rangers

    Reply to Talkback

  • When I was growing up in France, we got GOLDORAK (aka GRANDIZER
    in the U.S. – part of FORCE FIVE). It didn’t run for long here but it was huge
    in France.
    Reading about you guys watching VOLTRON religiously reminded
    me that I was the same way about GOLDORAK. Every Wednesday afternoons the show
    was presented by the lovely Dorothee, a sort of
    French pin-up for kids. (French children get proper sex-education from the TV,
    including uncensored Dannon commercials featuring nude
    babes stepping on scales while eating yoghurt.) One thing’s for sure: with his
    killer design, Goldorak would just kick the snot out of poor Voltron before this one could get his kitties assembled.
    And even if he did and he had time to pull his sword, it’d be like a cat
    attacking a German shepherd. Goldorack would split
    Big V’s head in half with his shoulder blades. It would make a terrific movie!
    Here’s the show’s American opening. http://tinyurl.com/6eee42
    For anyone interested
    in the wicki article: http://tinyurl.com/59mt6f
    Thanks for the memories.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 5:22:15 PM CDT

    NEEDS tiny ROBOTS!!

    by g100

    And lots of them.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 5:37:16 PM CDT

    Bad ideas.

    by porkchopxpress

    Hollywood has generated many bad ideas for films. This is one of them.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 5:51:13 PM CDT

    Subovon.....

    by flickapoo

    ...you're the first human I have run into who has seen any of this stuff. I grew up watching Goldrake (that's how they spelled it in Italy), but that was only the first of several great shows...did you have Mazzinger?...or Harlock?...or Daitan III?...or Galaxy Express?...there were so many...American shows SUCKED by comparison...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 6:44:16 PM CDT

    how about a live action Big O

    by phategod2

    Sorry for not being a big anough nerd to know what it was called in japanese but this was a great cartoon.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 6:53:36 PM CDT

    If they want to save some money

    by mace tofu

    they could use the guys who made the robots for STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER : )

    Reply to Talkback

  • There ya go..battle for supremacy..but during the battle the lions get confused cause they all look alike and some join different robots on the other side...then they have difficulty maintaining fighting stance..then a standoff for lion prisoner exchange....then the battle..Big O will be your referee...(or any other big robot hero of your choosing..audiance made up of pokemon and yugio and other card game characters..psi duck is your judge for overtime battletime decision..gets really pissed and electrocutes both sides..then first voltron made of hot wheels cars..comes in and wipes out all other power ranger teams...then prince zordar comes in with his fleet of ships and monsters..robotech and starblazers bring in their fleets and fight the monsters and zordar and leader deslock and the comet empire and and and and and and and and..ah F^^K IT WHO WANTS PIE!!!! PEACE
    NO WE DONT WANT NO STICKIN PEACE...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:28:53 PM CDT

    FlickaPoo

    by subovon

    The only one I know is CAPTAIN HARLOCK was called ALBATOR, SPACE CORSAIRE in France. That was another favorite. It came in 2 versions but it’s also a derivative of other Japanese shows. It’s a lot of fun looking around Youtube and seeing how all the shows blend in together. They all look the same – but different. Maybe what they should do is make a movie that takes the coolest thing from all the shows made by one company and put it in one big movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:35:27 PM CDT

    Screw robots...where's my MASK remake?

    by themikejonas

    Where's my flying Camaro, dammit?!?!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:41:19 PM CDT

    ULYSSES 31 would make a great movie

    by subovon

    Another favorite of mine was ULYSSES 31. Each episode was a
    chapter out of The Odyssey or from Greek and Roman mythology. It was set in the
    31st century and Ulysses had a killer ship. He also had a cool light
    saber / gun hybrid. That one was a French (writing) / Japanese (animation) collaboration
    and it still rocks. While watching, kids learn mythology by accident. It would
    make a solid franchise if it was handled by some talent.

    http://tinyurl.com/3c4znf

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 7:52:26 PM CDT

    I love Voltron but this isn't gonna work.

    by kurutteru yatsu

    If they're not going to do a balls-out epic space battle on Planet Arus with the giant castle and the five guys from Earth landing and finding the lions, King Zarkon and so on, you're not doing Voltron.The only anime Hollywood should ever attempt doing are the ones that have perhaps one or two fantastical elements in them but are more or less ground in reality. Lupin, Gunsmith Cats/Riding Bean, Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura, Gokusen, GTO, Oh! My Goddess -- there's plenty of titles that could be done for cheaper and still have a chance of coming out better than Robotech, Voltron, or Akira ever will.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:10:29 PM CDT

    Go-Go Lion!!!

    by roketopunch

    Yeah, I have to see it for dookie and laughs.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 8:18:46 PM CDT

    Gigantor

    by grammaton cleric binks

    Okay, he's too old school. All I can say is if they do Voltron: 1)It better be the lions, not those punk ass vehicles 2)Star Blazer must follow 3)Robotech must follow after that. 4) Who am I kidding, this won't work except as a SciFi channel series a la Galactica.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:05:19 PM CDT

    GO! GO! GO!!

    by bringingsexyback

    Go go!!! And GO!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:25:35 PM CDT

    That sound

    by gbrob08

    Sounds like they jacked the laser sound from the original War of the Worlds?

    And I had the car Voltron when I was a kid. Hated it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:33:19 PM CDT

    Macross Better Than Robotech? Please.

    by leto iii

    Macross = Massively Overrated.

    I don't hate the Japanese MACROSS. On the other hand, I *do* see through it. There isn't much there. It's entertaining, and *dabbles* in some interesting themes, but doesn't deal with any in any significant detail. It's eye candy, pleasing to the superficial examination, and nothing more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 9:34:45 PM CDT

    Robotech Vs, Macross, Continued...

    by leto iii

    ROBOTECH is infinitely more than MACROSS ever was, and ever can be. Furthermore, I outright laugh at anyone who takes this a step further and claims that DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE? is one of the greatest movies ever made. It's pretty, but it's hollow. There's no substance to it. The casual and inattentive fan who thinks ROBOTECH is simply MACROSS plus additional episodes, who cannot see the greater unity of the whole, who simply stops paying attention when Minmei's hand closes the photo album, misses not only the whole point of the series, but the entire reason ROBOTECH is a near-masterpiece, whereas MACROSS is only a pop TV show.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 10:41:20 PM CDT

    Anyone else notice this??

    by slicer

    The sound used at the end of the transformation in the you tube video above (from 1:01 to 1:03) is the sound of the cartoon looking laser rays shooting out of the head of the machines in the original War of the Worlds movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:07:46 PM CDT

    Voltron is beyond Ridiculous

    by dioxholster

    seriously think about it, total failure. Cats? how gay. and practically making these things join to form one big robot is so stupid. how is that justified in the first place. oh look lets be one robot, because being separate robots makes us look like pussies. yeah nice strategy assholes. this is not even futuristic warfare just numb shit fuckry

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:32:00 PM CDT

    Optimus Prime presents Voltron...

    by darthsiskel

    Check out the intro to the cartoon. Optimus Prime does the voiceover. LOL.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 18, 2008 11:40:24 PM CDT

    Lost in translation

    by antoniusbloc

    For whatever reason, I loved Voltron, specifially the Lion episodes, back in the day. A lot of episodes had great animation for its time. But even then I felt something was lost in the obvious english translation for the most part just trying to match the mouth movement. Although most Japanime stories, while visually impressive, have very weak stories, it seemd there was more going on in the plot then what the english translation revealed. There seem to be some medieval and religious aspects not addressed in the dialgue, i recall even one character making the sign of the cross. Be interesting to know what the original story was about.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 12:24:40 AM CDT

    Flames on Voltron = nipples on batman

    by dioxholster

    just sayin...it could happen boys and girls, they can actually fuck up a show that was thought as pretty fucked up already.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 1:33:11 AM CDT

    Latino Review calls Voltron the best script of the year.

    by mystery roach

    Their description of the plot did little to get me excited though.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 1:44:16 AM CDT

    hey themikejonas

    by foreverguardian

    *bows down before your knowledge* Nice one :)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 1:47:56 AM CDT

    Grammaton Cleric Binks

    by kurutteru yatsu

    They did a live-action Gigantor/Tetsujin-28 film in Japan a few years ago. Here's the trailer: http://tinyurl.com/5k2cye

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 2:19:12 AM CDT

    The greatest mecha anime ever was...

    by chief joseph

    ...Armored Trooper Votoms.
    Too bad it never quite caught on in the U.S.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 2:32:48 AM CDT

    Robotech, and its fans, suck

    by chief joseph

    Robotech fans are all xenophobic retards stuck on a laughable Frenkenstein hackjob.
    They're also the whiniest little bitches you can imagine. They think that Do You Remember Love, probably the greatest anime ever, somehow "ruined Robotech".
    When they finally got a new Robotech video a couple years ago, were they grateful? Nope, they again whined that it "ruined Robotech". Then one of these loser fanboys actually assaulted the director at a convention, claiming he "ruined Robotech".
    Don't worry Robotech fans, Robotech can never be ruined because it was crap to begin with. No matter what Tobey MacGuire does with it, it'll be better than what Macek did with it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 4:51:49 AM CDT

    They should make it faithful to the original GOLION show

    by monkey_king

    and less campy like the U.S. edit

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 5:49:35 AM CDT

    Is there anything funnier...

    by docpazuzu

    ...than fans of one particular Japanese giant robot cartoon franchise calling the fans of another Japanese giant robot cartoon franchise "losers"?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 5:50:43 AM CDT

    Oh, and....

    by docpazuzu

    ..."It's a LION!" never gets old.

    Eternal AICN comedy GOLD.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 7:34:38 AM CDT

    He's standing in the sky

    by abominable snowcone

    on air. As for team-oriented shows like this, there's always one token chick, a "chubby one," and a small cutesy guy. Battle of the Planets was like that, too

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 9:40:38 AM CDT

    Oh, GOLION...I have been trying to remember...

    by flickapoo

    ...the name of the show that Voltron was based on. When I first saw Voltron as a kid I was outraged because I had already been a GOLION fan for a long time...(hey, when you're 8 two years is a long long time...)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 10:10:35 AM CDT

    They Better cast a good Sven

    by mindraven

    that's all I'm sayin

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 1:05:14 PM CDT

    robotech > macross [but only by a tiny amount]

    by ironic_name

  • Aug 19, 2008 1:59:12 PM CDT

    Chief Joseph? Here's a Quarter. Go Buy a Clue.

    by leto iii

    If this were alt.fan.macross he'd have a point. It isn't. In the more sophisticated context of ROBOTECH, the Japanese MACROSS was brain candy -- and this was taken to the extreme with DYRL. Long on pretty pictures, soft on story. It was a soap-opera, not a saga. Once I got past the animation and tried to pay attention to the story and characterization, I was about to puke from the oozing, sappy, treacly sentiment...it is, quite simply from a narrative standpoint, crap. We don't need any damned otaku MACROSS missionaries trying to convert us to their One True Faith.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 5:15:36 PM CDT

    "And I'll form the head.." Fuck this shit!!

    by stalkeye

    Bring on Gatchaman and no association whatsoever with the Washupedki Bros, now that they fucked up Speed Racer. As for Robotech, I rather stomach Macek's "Bastardization" than any of those series in it's original Japanese version:Macross,Southern Cross and Mospeda.Atleast the fucker breathed life in those mediocre shows that had low ratings in Japan save for Macross.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 8:41:54 PM CDT

    Leto II

    by g'kar

    Your Robotech>Macross posts were so outrageous I realized I'd read them before, almost exactly word for word:

    [http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/movies-theatrical/261981-robotech-coming-big-screen-near-you.html]

    and...

    [http://forums.voltron.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8641046761/m/1271016071]

    Never underestimate the power of google.

    So what, do you save all your arguments so you can recycle them whenever you hope someone will bite? Or recycle other people's posts because you cannot articulate your own? Whatever. No need to answer; I've seen all there is to see here.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 8:49:22 PM CDT

    oops

    by g'kar

    Couple space bars got copied over into the liks somehow. Oh well. [] and []

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 8:49:51 PM CDT

    I give up (shrug)

    by g'kar

  • Aug 19, 2008 10:11:06 PM CDT

    Glad You Liked 'Em, G'Kar...

    by leto iii

    ...'cause, yup, that's me at both forums. I post under "The Bandsaw Vigilante" at the Voltron.com forums, and I'm also at TF.N under the "Leto II" handle. My first name is Josh. Vet me, if you don't believe me. And yes, I pulled it right off my posts from HTF. Handy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 10:11:30 PM CDT

    Continued...

    by leto iii

    And I wrote them myself, in case you were wondering. First rule of rhetoricians: If it works, you don't throw it out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 10:26:57 PM CDT

    Finally

    by campion

    I really like Voltron, the DVD sets are very good. The creators explain how they used the Japanese episodes and just made up their own plots to go with the pictures. No translation at all. I'd like to find the Golion set because the "Sven" character actually died in the first few episodes, instead of being "captured" or in a hospital in the American version.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 10:37:42 PM CDT

    So, G'Kar...

    by leto iii

    ...since I've now revealed my big secret identity, I'm curious -- who might you be on each of those forums? Oh, and by the way, at least I *gave* a rational, valid argument, as opposed to simply calling someone's posts "outrageous" and declaring instant victory. There's a slight difference there, you see. A good argument's still a good argument, whether it's used once or again ten years down the road, and doesn't diminish its potency one scintilla.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 19, 2008 11:54:11 PM CDT

    Golian?

    by antoniusbloc

    Interesting, so what was the original Japanese plot? Seemed a little more complex than the american tranlsation made it out to be.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 20, 2008 4:23:00 AM CDT

    Leto III - seems I owe an apology

    by g'kar

    I sort of just assumed you were at least two different people... in that you offered recycled comments seemingly in direct reply to Chief Joseph's post, and in that your "damned otaku Macross missionaries" comment seemed heavily contrasted from the more articulate nature of your posts in hometheaterforum-or-wherever thread. And I was being petty. So, I'm sorry. Also wouldn't say I declared instant victory, as I actually messed up the links to your other threads, botched an effort to fix them by hitting the bloody talkback button before I meant to, and then finally came back to see how much an idiot I made of myself (was kinda hoping to find the talkback had simply died) after saying I had left. No victory to be had there. Still not sure I understand what you're doing trying to engage in a topic that's barely on the table with the subject at hand, but then again I didn't need to respond to it either. I'm not registered with hometheaterforum or that other place, which is why I had to google your sentences just to find where the heck I'd read them before. I do post semi-regularly on robotech.com -mostly the Macross boards- which is perhaps the best place to carry on a Robotech discussion (unlike macrossworld.com, which is mostly where the purists hang out, although I've visited there too once or twice). To clarify "outrageous"... come on, you can't possibly not appreciate the irony of almost every one of your MX criticisms reflecting those very criticisms popularly held against RT. Whether the irony was intentional or those are your actual opinions, I don't even want to ask. In my not-so-humble opinion, RT is at most an "adequate" adaptation of MX, taking into account both when it was adapted and the politics/economics involved. RT lacks the musical variance and emotional depth of its parent series, the subtlety and nuance of its characters, and relies exclusively on *dialog* to hit home its themes and morals... with said dialog coming across as embarrassingly stilted most of the time. These flaws, to me, make for a much less enjoyable/rewarding viewing experience, with considerably less replay value. That has been my experience since discovering the original.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 20, 2008 1:25:06 PM CDT

    No Problem -- It's Cool, G'kar.

    by leto iii

    Don't worry about it, I got kinda heated and chuffed up there, myself. Cool to know that you post on the ROBOTECH.com boards; and it's all right -- I respect your MACROSS positions and arguments. You list some valid reasons there why some people (understandably) might prefer it over the U.S. version, and really, yours are much more subtle and rational than a few I've read over at places like the MACROSSWORLD.com boards, which sometimes veer into the most ludicrous, fanboyish reasons you can imagine. Anyways -- no prob, it's all good...we all tend to have different opinions on things, and no one agrees 100% every single time.

    Reply to Talkback

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