The story of Dũng Sĩ Hesman has recently been revived by Netflix under the title Voltron: Legendary Defender, with the highly anticipated second season set to be released in the near future. DreamWorks Animation, the studio responsible for Voltron, has confirmed that they and Universal are working on a new film adaptation of the Voltron franchise.
The Netflix animated version has received high praise from critics
The film will be scripted by X-Men writer David Hayter. Hayter, who wrote the scripts for the first two X-Men films directed by Bryan Singer, is also known for his work on Watchmen directed by Zack Snyder.
The filmmaking plans for Voltron have been in development for many years, primarily under the responsibility of Atlas Entertainment. Screenwriters Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer confirmed they would be writing the screenplay, but no director has been attached yet. By 2011, Relativity Media also announced that they would be producing this project, but it then fell into obscurity.
Universal has been interested in securing a script for this film for a long time, but they have yet to commit to production. This hesitation is understandable, as the superhero film market is currently saturated, making it a challenging environment for new projects. Furthermore, Universal is also waiting to see the results of the Power Rangers film adaptation from Lionstage, set to release in 2017. Both of these franchises involve a team of pilots controlling giant robots that can combine to form a powerful machine. The relationship between the two film franchises is definitely worth watching, as it could reshape Hollywood’s approach to future adaptations.
Will Voltron make an appearance in Power Rangers?
The animated series Voltron: Defender of the Universe aired in 1984 and 1985, combining two anime series, Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV from Japan. In the 70s and 80s, animated series featuring giant robots were rare, especially with the success of Transformers globally, which opened opportunities for other series to develop.
Voltron was once the iconic animated series of the 80s
In 1994, the comic series Dũng Sĩ Hesman was launched, taking inspiration from the Voltron robot and published by the Hanoi Art Publishing House. Dũng Sĩ Hesman is a sci-fi comic series, with the name Hesman derived from the phrase “He is man,” referring to a robot with human-like qualities, alongside the adventures of characters in the 22nd century. The series consists of 159 issues, each with 72 pages, concluding in 1996.
Dũng Sĩ Hesman is a nostalgic icon for the 8x and 9x generations
Currently, Universal has not disclosed information about the director or cast members involved in the film.
