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NEWS: Deadline Site: Proposed Robotech Film Gets New Writer


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Mawdryn



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Posts: 240
Location: St. Louis, MO. U.S.A.
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:40 am Reply with quote
This project is stuck in the same Hollywood "developmental hell" as the proposed live-action Voltron movie that's been "in the works" for years and years with little progress towards getting actually made.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5846
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:21 am Reply with quote
Yeah, in cases like this, you can only believe it when filming actually starts. Got my fingers crossed though.
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Cipheron



Joined: 11 Sep 2012
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:37 am Reply with quote
Both Voltron and Robotech were stitched together Frankenstein-style from unrelated anime, with a lot of plot changes. That didn't bother viewers when they were watching this as little kids, but it makes reboots and further adaptations really difficult, since you could write an encyclopedia of all the plot elements that no longer make sense once you rewatch ALL of Robotech and pay attention to the details.

[General Macross Spoilers Below]

spoiler[The continuity errors would be much more noticeable in a rebooted film series vs an 85 episode series you watch weekly. For example the giant Zentraedi of season 1 are giants, and the entire seasons' plotline is about how the giants are shocked that normal-sized humans exist, and have no idea what music is. The core of season 1 is about two completely opposite cultures colliding, and their utter alien-ness to each other is what drives the plot.

Yet, to tie season 1 to season 2, the giants constantly refer to the Robotech Masters of season 2, who are their rulers and are normal-sized humans who heavily USE music. So in other words, the entire main plot of season 1 is basically thrown out the door for another contradictory story in season 2, since they were in reality made as different shows.

So say you want to make a trilogy of films, based on the three Robotech seasons. You have a big problem, since what happens in movie 2 completely contradict what happens in movie 1, if you follow the plot of the show closely. So what do they do? Remove or water-down the culture shock elements of season 1, make the giants no longer shocked at seeing little people. But Minmei's music (and the lack of music of the aliens) is the most important element of Macross. How are they going to keep that but explain how the aliens leaders actually loved music all along?]


There is no way to adapt all three Robotech shows to one consistent story. They failed in 1985, and they're sort of stuck with the plot problems now. They can reboot it, but they can't do a "true" adaptation.

{Added spoiler tags. ~nbahn}


Last edited by Cipheron on Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:02 am; edited 4 times in total
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Veniamin



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 215
Location: Miami
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:37 am Reply with quote
You mean continue the legacy of mediocrity. I wanted Macross as a child ever since living in Japan and I got this Robotech garbage forced on me. Same with the Power Rangers. Screw America for ruining my childhood. Sad
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Lycosyncer



Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:57 am Reply with quote
I'll believe it when we finally get a cast and crew and a set date ready to show it.

Anyways, I take it that Tobey Maguire is out now due to this being in development hell for so long that he lost interest and moved on now.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5846
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:12 am Reply with quote
As a movie adaptation, they don't have to be sticklers to the series writing. Series continuity errors can be corrected or written away in the movie screenplay.
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Cptn_Taylor



Joined: 08 Nov 2013
Posts: 925
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:13 am Reply with quote
This is one film that is never ever going to get made. It should be a live action film for Macross, because what little fandom remains is interested only in Macross. But hey they can't do Macross otherwise the lawsuit between Samsung and Apple will look like peanuts compared to what's going to happen between WB/HG and Studio Nue/Big West. And no one cares about second and third generation. This is a dead film. It's burried six feet under and then some more. Even God himself won't be able to take it to the silver screen.
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Levitz9



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 1022
Location: Puerto Rico
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:41 am Reply with quote
You almost have to give Harmony Gold credit. They are desperate to make something with the Robotech franchise, as if there were still fans for this.

Like others had said, this'll probably stay in Development Hell for decades to come. No great loss.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5846
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:59 am Reply with quote
Never say never. While the movie is probably stuck in development hell, money has already been spent on it. With a good enough script, Warner Bros could push it through. Robotech and Macross fandom are irrelevant to that.

As to the legal wrangling, I'd doubt it would be that big an issue for Warner Bros. Money smooths many a path. This issue is only big for the fans of either series.

I am a fan of both franchises, I am also sad that we can't get Macross legally over here too. Especially loved Macross Frontier.

That said I am hopeful for a movie adaptation of Robotech. If done right it could be fantastic. But we are still a long way from that.
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johnnysasaki



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 928
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:11 am Reply with quote
I actually hope this gets made,because it may bomb in the theaters and it may kill Harmony Gold for good and let the Macross franchise finally have a chance...
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:49 am Reply with quote
I honestly don't think Robotech has the nostalgia factor going for it. "Everybody" remembers Voltron, "everybody" parodied Voltron (Robot Chicken). When people allude to giant robots they say "Man, that was like some Voltron shit right there." It's probably about as remembered as Bionic Six since it never became any kind of icon or cultural landmark like Turtles or GI Joe, or even JEM to some degree.
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FenixFiesta



Joined: 22 Apr 2013
Posts: 2581
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:26 pm Reply with quote
The difference between a LA Voltron and say a LA "Robotech" project is at least with the Voltron project they can use there source materials (IE Voltron could actually feature VOLTRON), the only thing Robotech can use is anything that appeared in Shadow Chronicles as pretty much most of what is symbolic in the old dub of "Robotech" is tied up with the Macross license (ignoring the Mospeada stuff).
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5347
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:29 pm Reply with quote
Can they just not let it go. OK at the time there was some complications that meant you had to do what you did to get the series to the west, maybe they were better ways to go about it, but what's done is done. As far back as the 90s there has no longer been a reason for Robotech, you can just release Macross in the west as it is, stop wasting everyones times.
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Yoda117



Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Posts: 406
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:16 pm Reply with quote
Levitz9 wrote:
You almost have to give Harmony Gold credit. They are desperate to make something with the Robotech franchise, as if there were still fans for this.


Robotech or Macross, there are plenty of folks who will watch it.

/it's an addiction
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FenixFiesta



Joined: 22 Apr 2013
Posts: 2581
PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:55 pm Reply with quote
Yoda117 wrote:



Robotech or Macross, there are plenty of folks who will watch it.

/it's an addiction

It would be interesting to meet someone that can argue what was "good" about shadow chronicles.
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