HOME TRAILERS RELEASE DATES PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS BOB $TENCIL NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

FIRST LOOK

First Look: Epic Concept Art for a Live-Action 'Voltron' Movie!

by Alex Billington
September 16, 2010
Source: JoBlo

The last we heard of a Voltron movie was over a year ago, in July of '09, when it was revealed that Charles Roven's Atlas Entertainment had acquired the rights and was developing a live-action take on the animated TV series. We haven't heard a single word about it since, but out of nowhere JoBlo landed some very badass concept art that is supposedly part of Atlas' pitch for the project which they are taking around Hollywood to sell. We don't know who's responsible for this gorgeous artwork, but word is Atlas got screenwriters Thomas Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer (Sahara, Conan, Doctor Strange) to pen the script. You've got to see this!

Click on either of the concept art images to see them much bigger over on JoBlo. Talk about badass - yea?

Voltron, an animated TV series from the '80s that has retained a loyal fan following even today, is about a band of five robot-lions that combine to form one super lion. A group of five pilots control the lions, which are charged with defending the planet Arus from villain "King Zarkon", who dispatches evil creatures called Robobeats to fight the Voltron robots. The obvious comparison here is Transformers, so it looks like Atlas is trying to spin off of the success of that franchise (which is going to have its trilogy completed by next year), but is this going to work just as well? I've got to say, this stuff is badass, I just hope they get someone with a little more restraint than Michael Bay to direct this Voltron project when/if it ever gets made. Thoughts?

Explore tags: Cool Stuff, First Look, Hype

Spider94

transformers spin off?
jaysfan

ya...it can't really be a spin off if it is it's own original idea....fraiser from cheers = spin off.
Diego

New York again?......
Jedi

"The obvious comparison here is Transformers, so it looks like Atlas is trying to spin off of the success of that franchise..." He's saying that they are going to try to use the Transformers success to help create some buzz and eventual success for Voltron. He didn't mean that they're creating a spin-off movie from the Transformers franchise. Let's try actually reading the words before just jumping in to correct what you think is being said.

Curtislo419

although voltron came along way before transformers were ever dreamed of

tir na nog

Looks like it could be cool....but to echo no3,New York again! why not Tokyo or somewhere else.
Vet4Peace

Why can't they find some less populated area to fight? Really inconsiderate, if you ask me.
Big Boss

Not to drag on the argument, but the Voltron design is very "Bayformer-esque". I mean, I know that they want to stay away from the "blocky" look of the cartoon, but I've already seen this look before. Cover them lions up! lol
Angry Chief

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO VOLTROOOOON!!!
Gill

How can this movie work? Make it stylized so it looks exactly like this concept art. It would look way more appealing than Transformers.
http://myspace.com/risksinrip Ambient

Voltron was a fantastic anime. The 5 lions combine to become a robot not a giant lion.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Maybe if there was a scene where they knocked the Statue of Liberty down on the ground and had sex with it for 40 minutes or so and that could end the use of that statue as a metaphor of the fall of America to a force greater than man. Looks alright, robots with tiger arms nice...
tazz

i agree with both #3 and #5 New York again this is getting stupid there more places instead of New York
l.21

Awesome, but too much like transformers. Work in some obtuse corners maybe? A square? Some symmetry?
http://currentconfig.com/ Chris Rugen

I hope they tone back the confusing jumble of pointy curves. Was Transformers not visually confusing enough for people? Now we need to add complexity to something *already made from 5 robots*?
whomever

The script sucks. Hope it doesn't get made.
Josh

I want Robotech damn it!
DoomCanoe

woh! those concept arts are everything i ever dreamed of.... when i thought about a kick ass Power Ranger movie i never watched Voltron
...

i agree with #6
Kylle

Im sick of New York and Los Angeles. OMG! Give us London or Sydney.. maybe even Hong Kong~!
Vash

I say they should fight in Hawaii or something. I'd like to see them jump from island to island just destroying everything...plus...with a volcano erupting in the background. "Are we done deforesting this island?" "Yeah, let's hop to the next one...I'll form...THE HEAD!" That...or on the freakin' moon. Voltron is the defender of the damn universe anyway!
Colt

VOLTRON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
D

Voltron wasnt even set on Earth. Why cant they set it on another planet like it was allready?
Jimmy Love

Voltron is Great the art looks pretty good not at all like the horrid Bay Transformers but New York is stupid considering Voltron took place on another planet in the future.
80's cartoons rule

City-wide CG destruction for the millionth time? Zzzz.
Iggypop

form arms and body...form feet and legs...and i'll form...the head... bring em all the 80's cartoons so that kids of today will be educated how cool it was to be a child back then..... am still waiting for someone who can do the dungeons and dragons live action movie. am talking of the 6 kids sucked into a different dimension and had powers...and the unicorn.... that would be magical!!!
DaftPUNKFAN

please be so VOLTRON ROCKS
DAWG

Many American audiences want to see a setting they know, hence LA or NYC that are familiar by their constant exploitation on television.
Cody w

Sadly #27 is right on the money.
Digit

Hmm Power Rangers meet Transformers???? They should better make an Evangelion Movie and use Tokio as capital like in the Story. I'm getting sick of the Americans and their fuzz about the statue of liberty being used over and over again.
Jimmy Love

yeah well Voltron came out long before evagalon <-? lol and it the film makers stuck in new york not the rest of us we want the future other world.
Andrei M

VOLTRON!!!!!! bring it on !
tazz

@27 i guess some of the American audience are boring then. look at District 9 that was set in Johannesburg, Africa and it did well with American audience i think it wont harm them set somewhere else instead of NY or LA.
tir na nog

to 32,exactly,and Garreth edwards new sci-fi Monster movie is set in Mexico.
Nuika

Just don't have it look or play out like transformers, sure my 7 year old nephew would love it but not me. I would love to see a voltron movie, really I would but I'm really not getting my hopes up yet.
jasonmd2020

#22 said "Voltron wasnt even set on Earth. Why cant they set it on another planet like it was allready?" #27 said "Many American audiences want to see a setting they know, hence LA or NYC that are familiar by their constant exploitation on television." I agree with 22 & NOT with 27. Did the Star Wars saga have any familiar settings? No, and we all know how huge that became. I'm hoping the concept art was placed in NY in order to give the sense of scale of how huge these things are, and that it's not the final setting.
Bob

exciting! i cant wait to see.
Bob

http://io9.com/5640197/form-blazing-sword-awesome-new-voltron-concept-art-gives-us-hope-for-feline-giant+robot-mayhem
http://www.oct8pus.com Google the Oct8pus

Hilarious!
TJ

to the dumb ass who called this a transformers spinoff..............SO
http://mithunonthe.net/ MithunOnThe.Net

As much as I love Voltron, I'm really not expecting epic-awesomeness from the same people who brought you 'Get Smart' and the Scooby Doo movies. I don't want another 'Transformers-like' franchise. Also, "a band of five robot-lions that combine to form one super lion" LOL! Did the editor even watch the cartoon?
J.chow

When I first saw the title of the article, I got all excited until I saw the actually pictures!!! Shit!!! It look just like Bay's Transformer!!! why does the design need to look so complicated?? Just put a 3D touch on the original design is good enough for us fans!!! I could only see less than 10% representation of the original Voltron. There's one thing I like about Japanese films making in terms of turning Cartoon/anime/manga/ into live action movies is that they do not over complicate the design/concept look of the original. It look exactly 90% the same as the original. Where in America, they like to completely redesign everything that it has no resemblance of the original. PLease do not mess up this one. Also, WHY IN AMERICA AGAIN?!!! Voltorn was based in the future and in space!! America, the whole world do not revolve around u?!! Honestly, i have low hope for this movie like i have for bayformers!!
captkirk

Just make sure you DON'T get Michael Bay as the director.
Xycfer27

Voltron the movie ....great idea....but dont base it on Earth....stick to the cartoon story line & it will do just fine!.......Go all out with special effects & the movie will make transformers look like the smurfs