In 1984, five giant robot lions joined together to form an even bigger robot called Voltron, and science fiction animation has never really been the same ever since. Originally adapted from existing footage of the Japanese anime series Beast King GoLion, the American version of Voltron took on a life of its own. Essentially, World Events Productions took Beast King GoLion and then re-edited, and dubbed those episodes to create the American show Voltron. Subsequently, other ‘80s versions of Voltron were edited from a different Japanese anime called Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. The point is, even at the very beginning, Voltron was an assemblage of different original concepts, uniting into the titular robot we all came to love.
But since the 1980s, there have been several American sequels, reboots, and reimagining of the basic Voltron concept. As recently as 2016, Voltron was remade as a hit TV series for Netflix called Voltron: Legendary Defender. But now, another Voltron is coming. And this one could be the biggest yet.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Henry Cavill will star in a live-action Voltron movie produced by MGM and Amazon. But what will this new Voltron reboot actually be about?
Technically speaking, because Voltron is derived from several sources, it’s hard to say that a new version will go back to its roots — or which roots that would even be. As THR reveals, “The plot details for the new version is unclear.” But it should be noted that this Voltron will differ from all previous versions for one reason: There has never been a live-action movie version of Voltron, ever. This one detail alone represents the most interesting thing about this Voltron reboot. How do you do a live-action film about robot lions merging into a larger robot and not make it utterly absurd? Some hints could be found in the various live-action Transformers movies that have proliferated since 2008. Or one could think of the Pacific Rim films as a better model.
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber — who is known for films like Red Notice and Skyscraper — there’s a good bet this live-action Voltron will go for a wide appeal rather than trying to satisfy a niche audience obsessed with ‘80s sci-fi nostalgia. Then again, Henry Cavill’s involvement might be a nice sign for Voltron purists. After all, this is a guy who plays Warhammer and is genuinely supportive and defensive of various kinds of geek fandoms. While some are concerned that Cavill doing Voltron precludes his ability to star in a hypothetical Warhammer, the quality of Voltron could be preserved by Cavill’s involvement. The man loves giant robots and sci-fi action. Perhaps, if this live-action Voltron comes to fruition, we’ll finally all be living in the correct Henry Cavill timeline.
