Just last month, Netflix and DreamWorks Animation announced plans to produce a new Voltron series based on the classic ’80s cartoon about a team of adventurers who pilot robotic lions that can be combined to form a massive, sword-wielding robot knight. Now we have our first look at some imagery from the upcoming series, as well as the official title for the project.
Voltron: Legendary Defender will be the series’ title, and while the Voltron franchise has taken a lot of different forms over the years, the first image from the upcoming show suggests that it’s taking a back-to-basics approach.
The promotional image and title debuted on Nerdist, and along with copying the iconic, rainbow color scheme for the franchise (representing the colors of the individual units that combine to form the robot Voltron), the new series also appears to be going with the original, “Lion Force” vehicles for the team rather than the later car-and-spaceship “Vehicle Force” or some other, new version of the team.
Little is know about Voltron: Legendary Defender at this point, but after years of rumors regarding a potential live-action Voltron movie that never panned out, the upcoming Netflix series will certainly be a welcome return to the screen for fans of the franchise.
The original Voltron: Defender of the Universe television series debuted in 1984 and was essentially a recut, redubbed version of the Japanese anime series Beast King GoLion that had been heavily edited for American audiences. The series went on to become a massive hit in the U.S. and was one of the top-rated children’s shows for both seasons it aired, spawning a wildly successful toy line and multiple spinoff series and reboots in later years.
The most recent attempt at bringing Voltron back into the spotlight was the 2011 animated series Voltron Force, which aired on Nickelodeon and featured a new generation of young heroes learning to pilot the Lion Force vehicles under the tutelage of the original Voltron: Defender of the Universe characters. While the series was well-received by fans, it lasted just one season (26 episodes) on the network.
There’s currently no premiere date scheduled for Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix, and no information about the plot of the series or its creative team at this point.
