After Universal Pictures bought DreamWorks Animation for nearly $4 billion earlier this year, the Voltron project was one of the in-development films that came along with the acquisition, Deadline reported. The same team is behind Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender series, which just announced its second season.
While the details are largely unknown, Deadline said that David Hayter, who wrote X-Men and Watchmen, will script the Voltron movie. Hayter is also currently writing for the Netflix animated series.
The plot of the film is also unclear, but the story will reportedly be about “a corps of astronauts that pilot a giant super robot,” according to Deadline. Nothing new or unexpected there, of course.
For those unfamiliar with the original cartoon, Voltron tells the story of a team of astronauts who “stumble upon five giant lion-shaped mechas, who have the ability to come together to form the legendary Voltron” robot, Screen Crush explains. The plotline is very similar to the Power Rangers’ Zords, and the massive Megazord robot that the Rangers come together to form in moments of peril throughout the show
Because things are rarely final in Hollywood, especially with reports of movies that haven’t even begun production, Universal will focus heavily on the kind of success and audience reception for the upcoming Transformers: The Last Night and Power Rangers movies. If ticket sales are high, Voltron might succeed, riding on its predecessors’ coattails. Then again, if the films flop, perhaps Voltron can strike a nerve the others missed. After all, the well-received Voltron Legendary Defender Netflix series proves there are fans of the franchise are alive and well -– but are there enough to make a potential Universal film a box office hit?
