Live-Action Astro Boy

[Lencho01]

'Astro Boy' Heading to Big-Screen as Live-Action Movie (Exclusive)

'Astro Boy' Heading to Big-Screen as Live-Action Movie (Exclusive)

10:36 AM PST 2/4/2015 by Borys Kit
No director is attached, but the producers are about to begin a search for writers.

Australia’s Animal Logic Entertainment has partnered with Japan’s Tezuka Productions to develop a live-action feature adaptation of the iconic character Astro Boy.

Zareh Nalbandian from Animal Logic Entertainment will produce with Jason Lust acting as executive producer. Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber from Ranger 7 Films will also exec produce.

No director is attached, but the producers are about to begin a search for writers.

Animal Logic is known mainly for its special effects work, ranging from groundbreaking efforts in Happy Feet to this summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it also has, since 2007, a development arm that is fostering a slate comprising live-action, hybrid and special effects-heavy projects. A Betty Boop feature, being produced with Simon Cowell’s SYCO Entertainment, is among the titles being developed.

Astro Boy was a Japanese manga created in the early 1950s by Osamu Tezuka, who has been described as Japan’s Walt Disney, that ran for decades in comic and newspaper strip form. It was then translated into several anime series that became popular around the world in the 1970s and 1980s. Hollywood tried several times to bring the character to the big screen, succeeding only with an animated 2009 feature from Imagi Animation. (Freddie Highmore voiced the titular character.)

Astro (Boy) is a robot boy created by a scientist as a replacement for the man’s dead son. After going on a Pinocchio-style adventure, he ends up with a new owner and a new mission: to fight evil (in human or robot form) using his many superpowers.

While the cartoons targeted a young demo, Animal Logic is aiming to make a four-quadrant adventure movie tailor-made for the comic book movie age.

“We’ve seen him as a manga, an anime and an animated movie but we’ve never seen him as a live-action movie or him as a superhero,” said Nalbandian. “We actually see him in the same league as an Iron Man.”

The producers also want to take advantage of the large ensemble of supporting characters and villains that were created over the decades.

"We want to make it aspirational but not soft," added Nalbandian.

Animal Logic is repped by CAA.

 

[Octoberist]

I feel like Astro Boy himself should look like an Disneyland animatronic character. Make his skin look like plastic. Make his eyes bigger than they should be. Take advantage of the uncanny valley.

 

[Mr_336]

Hopefully they'll pull it off well compared to the 1950s live action attempt.

 

[TheVileOne]

Meh, I don't really buy into any of what those producers are saying. I don't think they will ever get it off the ground either.

 

[Lord]

I heard the more realistic interpretation done by the writer of Monster and 20th Century Boys was realy good, i have yet to read it, but that would most likely be a better source material, since the original Astro Boy kind of works better in comic/ animated form.

 

[TheVileOne]

I feel like these producers are a little delusional though if they think Astro Boy is like Iron Man.

 

[Lord]

It depends on how they treat the franchise, but i can't stop feeling like Hollywood just keeps choosing the wrong franchises to adapt, or whitewash some of them and make them unrecognizable due to the studio wanting them to be something they were not.

 

[Lencho01]

I heard the more realistic interpretation done by the writer of Monster and 20th Century Boys was realy good, i have yet to read it, but that would most likely be a better source material, since the original Astro Boy kind of works better in comic/ animated form.

I remember hearing about that here.

It was reported Universal was involved in making a film based on it...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/new...ation-get-film-rights-for-urasawa-pluto-manga

 

[terry78]

This is gonna be creepy as ****. The CG version was fine.

 

[Lord]

I remember hearing about that here.

It was reported Universal was involved in making a film based on it...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/new...ation-get-film-rights-for-urasawa-pluto-manga

I gotta read that manga some day, Urasawa's mangas are usualy a bit more cinematic, i heard Monster was being developed for HBO by Guillermo Del Toro, excited to see what will come out of that.

Regarding Astro Boy, i doubt they can do it right, it will most likely not happen at all. But i guess the Pluto adaptation could work, if that manga truly is a realistic interpretation of Astro Boy.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Loved the cartoon as a kid. HATED the CGI movie a few years ago. Imagi did bad animation (including TMNT). I'm actually looking forward to a live-action film. Make it sad and tragic as the original cartoon was. Watch that first episode again.

[YT]esbPHb9EOcY[/YT]

 

[Lencho01]

'Astro Boy' Heading to New Line With 'San Andreas' Writers (Exclusive)

 

[Alien Anal]

Ahhh coool. Since a child I have always wanted a live action Astro Boy film.

Iv been collecting images that I think look cool and could give inspiration for imagining a live action AB film

I have been imagining they could do his shorts in a similar style to the robot from Ex Machina

 

[harryoscop]

^

 

[Octoberist]

Should Astro have a booty like that?

 

[Lencho01]

Should Astro have a booty like that?

How else is he going to be able to keep is booty guns hidden?

 

[Silvermoth]

How long do you reckon it'll be before they cast a white guy as Astro boy?

 

[Inhuman117]

i hope they use for the Design more Practical/Animatronic and Less CGI so i personal wish GDT will direct the Movie