If you can hear the sound of metal grinding on metal right now, it's probably because the Transformers are shaking in their boots. Oh, but what could possibly cause the Robots in Disguise to be stricken with fear? Oh, I don't know, perhaps the impending live-action arrival of one of the most beloved Mecha anime franchises of all-time. That's right, Otakus, I'm talking about Gundam!
Moments ago, Deadline Hollywood exclusively revealed that comic book creator to the stars and New York Times bestselling author Brian K. Vaughan has signed on to write a screenplay for GUNDAM, the uber-popular science fiction media franchise created by Sunrise and Yoshiyuki Tomino. Orchestrated by Legendary Entertainment, in a co-production with Sunrise, Tomino’s animated saga tells of a military epic with massive, combat-ready robots at its center. Piloted by trained professionals and blue-collar mechanics, Gundam has been viewed as something of an "every person's" anime, that places real people at the heart of fantastic stories told in a larger-than-life manner.
Vaughan coming aboard the project falls under his three-year overall deal with Legendary, in which the comicsmith is set to adapt several of his creator-owned properties. Among many of Vaughan's page-turning works, it's to be hoped that Legendary will also bring the creator's Paper Girls, Ex-Machina, or Saga to the big screen. For now, Vaughan is poised to serve as an executive producer on the FX television adaptation of Y: The Last Man, which Vaughan had co-created and launched with artist Pia Guerra in 2002 via Vertigo. Michael Green and Aida Croal are adapting Y for FX, with Diane Lane, Timothy Hutton, and Amber Tamblyn set to star.
In other Vaughan-related news, Paper Girls #26 hit comic book stands today, which serves as the beginning of the final arc of Image's Eisner award-winning series.