Relativity to Turn Anime Classic 'Voltron' Into Live-Action Movie

7:11 PM PDT 7/21/2011 by Gregg Kilday

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Atlas Entertainment's Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will help oversee the property, about five pilots in a battalion of ultra-high-tech Robot Lions, powerful vessels with the ability to form a fearsome mega-weapon known as “Voltron.”

Relativity Media has option the feature film rights to Voltron from World Event Prods. and is planning a live-action, big-screen version of the 1984 animated series Voltron: Defender of the Universe.

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Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, who brought the project to Relativity, will oversee its transition to the screen.

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Thomas Dean Donnelly (Conan the Barbarian) and Joshua Oppenheimer (Sahara) are writing the screenplay about five young pilots in a battalion of ultra-high-tech Robot Lions, powerful vessels with the ability to join together to form a fearsome mega-weapon known as “Voltron.”

The original series was based on the Japanese anime properties Beast King GoLion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV and aired in the United States for two years, beginning in 1984. Since then, it’s developed a cult following, selling more than 300,000 DVDs and spinning off the series Voltron Force on NickToons.

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Voltron made its first-ever panel debut at Comic-Con on Thursday, where both new and classic Voltron content was presented.

Producing along with Roven and Suckle is Kickstart Entertainment’s Jason Netter. World Events Prods.’ Ted Koplar will exec produce.

“For nearly three decades, Voltron has captured the minds of a nostalgically loyal and rabid fan base and has long been considered a hotly-pursued project. We are beyond excited World Event Productions and Atlas Entertainment have placed their trust and faith in Relativity to bring this coveted property to the big screen, and usher in a new generation of devoted fans,” Relativity Media president of worldwide production Tucker Tooley said in announcing the project.

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World Events was repped by UTA in the deal.