Amazon MGM Studios’ live-action adaptation of the nostalgic mecha anime property Voltron is assembling more actors for the movie, which already stars Henry Cavill and Daniel Quinn-Toye. The newly added trio includes Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Rita Ora (Descendants: The Rise of Red, Fifty Shades of Grey, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu), and John Kim (Cruel Intentions, The Last Thing He Told Me, Nancy Drew).
Based on the Japanese sci-fi series Beast King GoLion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV, Voltron begins production in Australia next month. Rawson Marshall Thurber (Red Notice) is directing the Voltron movie and co-writing the script with Ellen Shanman. The basic premise of Voltron centers around five young pilots whose vehicles join together to form the towering mech known as Voltron. The TV show was edited together from several Japanese anime series and originally ran in the mid-80s. Voltron spawned several sequel series, including Voltron: Legendary Defender, which spanned eight seasons on Netflix.
Plot details for Thurber’s Voltron movie remain a mystery. However, Thurber addressed the crowd at VoltCon in Indianapolis via video, saying, “I want to make sure that we stay true to the heart and the spirit of Voltron. In this film, we’re going to be introducing an entirely new generation of pilots. We’ve reimagined Voltron for the live-action world, but we’re going to stay true to…those iconic elements that you love, that I love.” That should keep the dogs at bay, right?
Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman will produce along with Bob Koplar, the head of World Events Productions and owner of the Voltron IP. Sterling K. Brown recently wrapped production on the upcoming Hulu TV series Paradise, which follows a security service team tasked with protecting a past president. Rita Ora is a British singer-songwriter who played the Queen of Hearts in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red. She’ll soon star in the Drew Kirsch-directed action thriller He Bled Neon, focusing on what happens after an estranged brother’s death leads to a dark criminal web in Las Vegas. Lastly, you can catch John Kim in the newly released Prime Video series Cruel Intentions.
What do you think about Sterling K. Brown, Rita Ora, and John Kim joining the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ Voltron movie? Are you excited about the film featuring a new crop of pilots? Let us know in the comments section below.