Gundam and Voltron: The Curious Case of the Languishing Live-Action Adaptations.

This was certainly not the year I envisioned, and I will have no choice but to deal with what lies ahead as it comes. So, I thought it would be interesting to revisit topics I have touched on before; with live-action anime adaptations that have gone through decades of development Hell. Here's a double bill for you all- Gundam and Voltron: the curious case of the languishing live-action adaptations.

Let's start with Gundam first- over the last couple decades; there have been numerous failed attempts to reboot the franchise in live-action after the poorly-received G-Savior (might even consider reviewing it in the future). I still maintain seeing the RX-78-2 in Ready Player One actually made me less excited about the idea. Still, it bears mentioning as 2018 was the year the most recent attempt started development with Netflix and Jordan Vogt-Roberts ("Kong: Skull Island") attached as director. I even expressed concern about what could happen, if anything at all.

Six years passed, and even with the success of the live-action One Piece (more interested in the second season of that); their version of the project ultimately did not come to fruition. Jordan ultimately moved on to other projects, and the project then was given to Jim Mickle of the highly-acclaimed series "Sweet Tooth." The news was first broken by Deadline last month. Though I admit I consider "Sweet Tooth" to be quite good, it remains to be seen whether or not anything comes of this version. As I have previously stated, some form of live-action adaptation has been in development Hell longer than I've been alive.

On that subject, let's talk about Voltron. Yes, even with the discourse around the last show's highly-controversial finale and its delisting from Netflix (which the creators have maintained is not because of the reboot); the brand as a whole still commands sizable influence among humongous mecha franchises. Granted; it might not be as prolific as fellow IPs, but it does have multiple generations of fans. 

That said, not even the casting of talented performers that includes Henry Cavill ("Man of Steel," "Mission Impossible: Fallout"), Sterling K. Brown and singer/actress Rita Ora is selling me. This most recent pitch is just one of many that has been floated in my lifetime alone (with scripts dating back through the franchise's early days), with Rawston Marshall Thurber only being the most recent director attached. Even as someone who openly admits to not being a huge fan of his work; him at the helm is honestly the least of the concerns I have.

Though the director describes it as a "new generation," his inability/unwillingness to confirm which characters are being used is a major deterrent for myself and others. Even the short-lived "Third Dimension" CG show had the core cast in it. (Side note- that was actually my first exposure to the franchise that I have an admitted soft spot for. Not as good as Reboot or Beast Wars, but you make do in a house that didn't have cable at the time.)

Whether or not anything will come of these latest pitches remains to be seen. However, I only have one modest request: please stop announcing adaptations before you've actually started making them. One adaptation I addressed here had six years of nothing before starting over again; the other has been claimed to be in development so many times the words have lost all meaning. At this point, the most surprising thing would be if they actually got cameras rolling... which is finally happening in Australia. Forget the robotic lions and vehicles, I think pigs are flying.

"Will you be hyped for these adaptations now, sir?" "Hm, no, I still prefer not."

Given how even superhero comic book adaptations are going through another rough patch (with Sony functionally confirming Kraven will mark the end of their SSU), I'm not as confident as I once was in anime and manga adaptations taking their place. For every One Piece or Detective Pikachu we've gotten (Alita Battle Angel and the 2008 Speed Racer have also garnered cult followings), we've had notorious bombs like Dragonball Evolution and the 2017 Ghost in the Shell. Though there have been many saying the movie will be the next Transformers or Power Rangers; I'm not convinced. In my experience, going right for a franchise has never ended well. The idea of simply making and releasing a movie and letting people make their own judgement is becoming increasingly rare. While they're promising a first-run theatrical release; lots of streamers this year have had mixed results in that field, including this film's new distributor.

Until the time comes that they actually release these cursed adaptations (honestly wouldn't put it past these suits to shelve them for a tax write-off), I will not be actively addressing them. That is all for now, take care.