The long-awaited big-screen adaptation of Voltrons, the beloved mecha TV show from the 1980s, is finally becoming a reality. The news of Hollywood star Henry Cavill’s casting as the lead in the live-action film, reported by The Hollywood Reporter, has sparked a wave of excitement among fans. Cavill will be joined by newcomer Daniel Quinn-Toye, who is set to play one of the young pilots that combine to form the iconic Voltron.
The film will be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who helmed Netflix’s 2021 action flick Red Notice and 2018’s Skyscraper, which starred Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in lead roles. He co-wrote the Voltron movie script with Ellen Shanman and devised the idea for the project himself. He’ll also produce the film through his World Events Productions and Todd Lieberman via Hidden Pictures, Bob Koplar, and Hobie Films’ David Hoberman.
There’s no word yet on what Cavill will play, but if the movie sticks to its source material, he’ll likely be Keith Kogane, the leader of a group of five space explorers sent by the Galaxy Alliance to the planet Arus. There, they discover the robot lions that can unite and form the massive Voltron to combat King Zarkon and his Drule empire. The live-action film is set to shoot this fall in Australia.
It’s been a long time coming for fans of the classic TV series, edited from several Japanese anime shows, including Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger Xv, and ran in the ’80s. A big-screen adaptation was first proposed in the mid-2000s, but legal wrangling and various corporate bankruptcies eventually sank the project. This new version is being backed by Amazon MGM Studios, which won the rights to the film in a bid that took place back in 2022.
While it’s good to see a big-screen version of the iconic mecha TV show finally happening, it remains to be seen how well the film will do at the box office. After all, it will compete with another ’80s-era franchise reboot that will see Cavill in the title role: John Wick director Chad Stahelski’s Highlander remake. The actor is also currently working on Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey, which is in post-production, and he’ll soon begin training for his role in Zack Snyder’s next Man of Steel sequel. WME and 2 PM Sharp represent him.
