Live Action Astro Boy Movie (Official Upcoming Film)

[Shiyonasan]

I'm unsure if Astro Boy can translate to live action very well, but then my only example of this is the Japanese tv series from the mid 50s XD

Well, to be fair, that was the only time Astro Boy was portrayed officially in a live-action format. With the CGI technology we have now, it'll definitely look better than that series!

On another note, IMDB is listing the movie for a release in 2018. Obviously that's not a definite or officially announced date, but considering when this movie got announced, I could see this movie being released in three years. I think it depends on how quickly they hire the staff to work on it. If not, then F-Man's guess of 2020 is also probable.

[F-Man]

On another note, IMDB is listing the movie for a release in 2018. Obviously that's not a definite or officially announced date, but considering when this movie got announced, I could see this movie being released in three years. I think it depends on how quickly they hire the staff to work on it. If not, then F-Man's guess of 2020 is also probable.

Back in 2010 IMDb listed Pluto for 2013 as well.

I don't know much about the Pluto movie's development. I mean for all I know, this could be the Pluto movie packaged as an Astro Boy movie on the grounds that investors think no one knows who Pluto is but everyone knows Astro Boy.

The Pluto movie rights were acquired by Illumination Entertainment.

[underm54]

I don't know if anybody heard about this or not but a film company by the name of Animal Logic Entertainment have joined with Tezuka Production to do a live action Astroboy film. I don't know if this is going to happen because I have been hearing about them doing a live action astroboy film for at least ten years or more and all we got was a cgi Astroboy film.
If the Speed Racer live action film did well witch everybody remembers from 2008 I think we would have gotten a whole shrew of live action movies based on anime characters. But lets just hope that this time it will happen. I read about this in the Animation Magazine website.

[Shiyonasan]

There's already an ongoing thread for this:

http://www.astroboy-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9179

Going to merge this thread with that thread.

EDIT: I've also decided to rename the thread to allow people to more easily recognize it from the main page of the forum.

[jeffbert]

I hope it does not try to cram so much into a single film as was the case with the SPEED RACER film, underm54 mentioned. There were elements from too many episodes to do justice to even one of them.

I likewise hope that they do not do an origin story, because it seems evident from the 2009 film that this is just not the type of thing that families in the US will want their kids to see. If they included a very brief flashback that came well after a whole lot of positive, happy content, maybe. But I really doubt that anything resembling the 2009 film would be popular. Besides that, it will need to overcome the 2009 film's horror of kid tossed out by father, etc, abused by showman, etc., memory that is likely still in the minds of many parents.

The B&W series mixed humor with the serious content in a cartoony way that outweighed the negative content. The doughnut eaten by bites and removed in one piece good as new, Tenma bouncing down the stairs on his head, etc., & very little on Tobio, plus Fred Ladd was eager for a Pinocchio - type story likely saved the show, or, at least the 1st episode. Consider the 1980 version, its version of the origin was cut to pieces. Anyway, the origin story was considered inappropriate for U.S. kids, & the 2003 series put it at the series' end, perhaps for that reason.

If they start with Atom going to school, accepted by other kids, etc., then something adventurous happens, maybe a chance for a success; yet, the expectations established by the 2009 film will still be an obstacle.

[AprilSeven]

If these guys take on Astro Boy with the same gusto they did the Lego Movie, I believe and will finally connect with the world-wide audience they deserve.

Here is Animal Logic's full press release

This article in the UK Daily Mail has lots of info

From the UK article:

Producer Nalbandian admits that there will be high expectations for the film from avid cartoon audiences, but believes he has the opportunity to make Astro Boy as big a success as Iron Man or Guardians of the Galaxy.

'We have high expectations. We won’t make a mediocre movie, this is a once in a generation opportunity to reinterpret Astro Boy for a 21st century audience,' Nalbandian said.

'Ultimately we've got the passion and we have the commitment but we need to partner with great writers and great film-makers and I think that right combination will empower us to do what we want to do.'

Nalbandian's impressive career spans over decades with films such as Walking with Dinosaurs 3D and Happy Feet under his belt. He knows what it takes to reinterpret a classic icon and bring him to the big screen and believes Astro Boy needs to be taken into the 21st Century to be a success.

'We can’t stick to the TV series and we’re certainly not going to be referencing the 2009 animated movie. We really want us to reinterpret him in a very contemporary way.'

'If you look at Legend of the Guardians and more recently Lego and before that Walking with Dinosaurs or the Great Gatsby movie they're all very different but they all have one thing in common which is they break new ground,' he said,

This will be the fist time Astro Boy will have ever been made into a Hollywood blockbuster film. Japan's Tezuka Productions have been very careful about who they let lay their hands on their prized possession.

Ironically I think IMAGI was supposed to be delivering the above, but it just didn't come together for reasons we've discussed (although many of us also greatly enjoyed the movie).

To have it be a full-blown, record-breaking, back-for-sequels motion picture would be a truly wonderful thing. I sure hope this happens.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

They referenced "Guardians of the Galaxy". I wonder if this live action Astro movie will actually be a mix of live actors and CGI. Astro could be put on screen the same way that "Rocket" and "Groot" were in that movie.

[Uran-chama]

I'm getting pretty interested in this now. They seem to be taking it seriously. If they are able to get good writers I think it could be pretty good. It will most likely look nice anyway.

[jeffbert]

I am not hopeful that this will be true to the Mighty Atom wew know & love, but on the other hand, I am expecting it to be worthwhile.

[Dragonrider1227]

If these guys take on Astro Boy with the same gusto they did the Lego Movie, I believe and will finally connect with the world-wide audience they deserve.

Here is Animal Logic's full press release

This article in the UK Daily Mail has lots of info

From the UK article:

Producer Nalbandian admits that there will be high expectations for the film from avid cartoon audiences, but believes he has the opportunity to make Astro Boy as big a success as Iron Man or Guardians of the Galaxy.

'We have high expectations. We won’t make a mediocre movie, this is a once in a generation opportunity to reinterpret Astro Boy for a 21st century audience,' Nalbandian said.

'Ultimately we've got the passion and we have the commitment but we need to partner with great writers and great film-makers and I think that right combination will empower us to do what we want to do.'

Nalbandian's impressive career spans over decades with films such as Walking with Dinosaurs 3D and Happy Feet under his belt. He knows what it takes to reinterpret a classic icon and bring him to the big screen and believes Astro Boy needs to be taken into the 21st Century to be a success.

'We can’t stick to the TV series and we’re certainly not going to be referencing the 2009 animated movie. We really want us to reinterpret him in a very contemporary way.'

'If you look at Legend of the Guardians and more recently Lego and before that Walking with Dinosaurs or the Great Gatsby movie they're all very different but they all have one thing in common which is they break new ground,' he said,

This will be the fist time Astro Boy will have ever been made into a Hollywood blockbuster film. Japan's Tezuka Productions have been very careful about who they let lay their hands on their prized possession.

Ironically I think IMAGI was supposed to be delivering the above, but it just didn't come together for reasons we've discussed (although many of us also greatly enjoyed the movie).

To have it be a full-blown, record-breaking, back-for-sequels motion picture would be a truly wonderful thing. I sure hope this happens.

Wait, Animal Logic? The same people that gave us The Lego Movie and Happy Feet? Well, that makes me a bit more excited