Superhero movies are all the rage these days, but plenty of non-Marvel and DC properties are also now looking to get in on the action. The latest is Astro Boy, and Warner Bros. is in negotiations to get the rights to the iconic manga and anime character for a live-action film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plans is to make Astro Boy a “four-quadrant adventure movie,” and they’ve brought in the writers of earthquake drama San Andreas (Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore) to put together a story featuring the character.
That’s certainly an interesting choice, though the studio is said to be keen on moving away from some of the more childish elements of Astro Boy’s story, so we could be look at – wait for it – a much “darker” and “grittier” take on the property from this writing team.
Created in the 1950s, this movie won’t mark Astro Boy’s big screen debut. He was last seen in an animated feature back in 2009 which saw Freddie Highmore voiced the titular hero.
Keen to know more about Astro Boy? Well, Astro was a robot boy created by a scientist as a replacement for the man’s dead son. After going on a Pinocchio-style adventure, he ends up with a new owner and a new mission: to fight evil using his many superpowers. Sounds pretty cool, right? Whether or not it will end up working obviously remains to be seen…
