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AstroBoy Director Replaced by David Bowers

by Alex Billington
January 24, 2008
Source: Variety

We've been covering Imagi Animation's AstroBoy CGI flick for quite a while, posting the first official concept art photo and an interview with the director at the time, Colin Brady. The budding filmmaker has been a long-time visual effects artist and character developer for Imagi. However, in a very odd move, Imagi announced today that Flushed Away director David Bowers would be replacing Brady.

AstroBoy is the $50 million CGI project from Imagi Animation studios. The film is a revamp of the beloved Japanese manga series and has been described as an "epic sci-fi fantasy" movie with a "deep dark human struggle" that they're going to explore. The film is planned for release in 2009 from Warner Brothers. Imagi Animation is the same studio that developed TMNT last year, another franchise revamp.

New director David Bowers started originally as an animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit before joining Steven Spielberg's Amblimation in London. His other credits include The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run, Shark Tale and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. If I must say, I'm not too pleased with this new choice. Although I had no connection with or preference for Colin Brady, I really hated Flushed Away, which Bowers directed. Hopefully this is a good thing.

We'll be following up with Imagi Animations to find out more on this change. Stay tuned for more updates on AstroBoy!

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