Metal Men movie in development from animation legends behind Aladdin, Moana & more

THR has reported that Warner Animation Group is developing a feature based on The Metal Men, a group of DC heroes created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru back in 1962. The Metal Men movie will have some serious animation royalty behind it as Ron Clements and John Musker are taking charge of the project. Clements and Musker are best known for their work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, Moana, and more.

Ron Clements and John Musker will be teaming up with Space Jam: A New Legacy writer Celeste Ballard on the Metal Men movie. What’s the deal with the Metal Men themselves? Let’s find out. “Created by scientist Dr. William “Will” Magnus, the six robots were field leader Gold, strong man Iron, slow-witted and loyal Lead, hot-headed Mercury, self-doubting and insecure Tin, and Platinum (also called “Tina”), who believed she was a real woman and was in love with her creator,” reads the description. “The group’s personalities mirrored their namesake metals, being dictated by devices called “responsometers”. Each Metal Man also possessed abilities that reflected the traits of their namesake metal: Gold could stretch his form almost infinitely, Iron was super strong, Lead could block harmful radiation by morphing into thick shields, Mercury could melt and pass through small spaces before reforming and Platinum could stretch or flatten.“

There have been various attempts at developing a Metal Men movie, most recently by Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld. In fact, Sonnenfeld recently said that his Metal Men project was back in active development. “We’re actively working on a treatment for [Metal Men],” Sonnenfeld said. “For me, it’s not so much a superhero thing as it is world-building. If you look at the work I’ve done, whether it’s The Addams Family, Men in Black, Pushing Daisies, Schmigadoon!, or A Series of Unfortunate Events, it’s all about creating a world. An unusual, slightly off-kilter quirky, different kind of world; that’s what I love doing.“

Are you excited for this Metal Men movie from these Disney animation titans?