The progression of major TV and toy franchises of our collective youth to the multiplexes of America (and Canada, and the UK, and Germany, and…) continues.

The latest victim subject of Hollywood’s eye: Robotech, the seminal giant-mecha series that for a generation of Western kids in the ’80s served as a formal introduction to the wonderful, if slightly twisted, world of anime.

Word just hit my inbox that Lawrence Kasdan, he who penned the screenplays of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, and The Big Chill, has been pegged to write the big-screen adaptation.  (So, waitasec.  This is an adaptation of a series that was itself a somewhat loose adaptation of the original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross series… the mind starts to boggle after a little while.)

Robotech, for those who need a refresher course or who just missed out on it, was an umbrella title used to unite three originally-unrelated Japanese series into a single, self-contained continuity: it stitched together the aforementioned Macross (the first, and by far most famous segment of Robotech, “The Macross Saga”) with Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (officially “The Robotech Masters,” but almost as popularly known as “Southern Cross”) and Genesis Climber Mospeada (”The New Generation”).  Despite much grief given to Robotech executive producer Carl Macek over the years for his cavalier treatment of the source material, there were still enough “mature” themes (in the sophistication, rather than “Playboy,” sense of the term) in the storyline and a compelling backstory driving the drama to generate a legion of fans all its own.  Hardcore anime fans may scoff at it, but Robotech as such is still an important touchstone in the growth of the genre on our side of the Pacific, and no matter if you feel the stories were “butchered” or you appreciate the imaginative attempts to fuse three different shows into something approximating a consistent whole, you cannot deny that it deserves its place in the firmament of Western animation.

A live-action, CG Robotech - based, I would guess based on the SciFi Weekly mailing, on solely the Macross portion of the saga - is a curious notion, especially given how this summer’s Speed Racer film can only be described as a disappointment, both from a creative and a box-office perspective.  On the other hand, Robotech-slash-Macross has, I think, a broader appeal (who doesn’t love space battles, giant robots, and a love triangle mixed in for texture?) and might turn out okay.  We shall have to see.

However, I should caution our readers not to get too excited over this.  A common story in Hollywood is of the project that gets green-lighted, only to end up abandoned before one frame of film is shot; it’s believed that for every movie that hits theaters, there are at least five or six other screenplays that end up never being made.  It’s too soon to tell if Robotech will end up being one of those projects, but it’s something to certainly keep an eye on; however, I feel it worth noting that nowhere in the mailing I recieved was there any indication of a possible release date.

Time will tell, as it always does.

If you liked that, try...

1. InnerGeek: Were You Screen Watching?
2. Watchmen production blog started
3. A long time ago…
4. Comic Rundown: Skrulls Down Right
5. Manga Beat 08: Angel Sanctuary Vol 1.

1 Comment »

1. 
   FactPile
   July 10, 2008 at 3:37 pm

   Robotech is the entire reason I learned about anime. So I am late to the party in learning that the movie seems to be moving forward - but it inspired me to create a fictional battle between the SDF-1 and the Starship Enterprise - insult/comment as you like

   Thanks,

   Paul

   [Reply]

Leave a comment