A live-action adaptation of the 1980s anime series Robotech has been trapped in development hell for fifteen years now, passing through the hands of multiple screenwriters and directors. The current draft of the script was initially written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man), with a rewrite by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (Sharper), and Deadline reports that Rhys Thomas – who directed half of the episodes the recent Marvel / Disney+ series Hawkeye – has signed on to bring the story to the screen. Is Robotech finally ready to escape from development hell? We’ll have to wait and see.
Robotech is set in a time when
Earth has developed giant robots from the technology of an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific island and is now using that technology to fight off an impending alien invasion.
The film is being produced by Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari’s Canton/Nunnari Productions, in association with Harmony Gold.
The original Robotech series premiered in 1985 and ran for 85 episodes. It has received several follow-ups over the decades.
Writers who have been hired for the live-action adaptation during the development process include Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Spider-Man 2), Tom Rob Smith (Family Affairs), and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman). Commercial director Nic Mathieu, Sylvain White (The Losers), James Wan (Aquaman), and Andy Muschietti (Stephen King’s It) are among the directors who have previously been attached to the project.
While I enjoyed Hawkeye, I can’t really offer an opinion on whether or not Rhys Thomas is the right choice for Robotech because I’m not familiar with the source material. My knowledge of anime is severely lacking.
Are you interested in seeing a live-action Robotech movie from the director of Hawkeye? Let us know by leaving a comment below.