Last month, it was revealed that Sony Pictures was planning to move ahead with a feature adaptation of the anime classic Robotech, citing “the intention of moving quickly toward production of a future global franchise.” Now, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Furious 7 and The Conjuring director James Wan is in negotations to direct the film. Wan recently made headlines for entering negotiations to direct Warner Bros.’ Aquaman feature, for which he remains in contention in addition to the recently-announced Fast & Furious 8.
“Robotech” debuted in the 1980s from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. A peculiar science fiction amalgamation, the show re-edited and re-wrote the dialogue of three Japanese anime series (“The Super Dimension Fortress Macross,” “Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross” and “Genesis Climber MOSPEADA”) to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.
A sprawling sci-fi epic, Robotech takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions. The first invasion concerns a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship’s energy source known as “protoculture,” and the planet’s survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.
Immortals and 300 franchise producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are developing Robotech with Michael Gordon (300, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra) set to provide the screenplay. This team will “bring their modern sensibility to the tentpole, reintroducing today’s audiences to the Robotech universe.”
(Photo credit: Apega/WENN.com)
