LIVE ACTION ROBOTECH (WB gets the rights)

[jenius]

Wow, that's a tricky sentence... "all" meaning "none'? Certainly "some" still are. I agree with Roger, movies don't get made over night... most don't get made quickly by any stretch. If this thing isn't filming in 2011 then I'll start wondering what happened.

[azrael]

"Development Hell" can mean a lot of things. There needs to be a script to sell. I've heard from a few non-news sources they are actively trying to find a director while working on designs right now. Basically, they are trying to find people to make this movie a reality. They could literally sit on this for a while. Directors have been attached to films, yet no movement ever happens. This is really "hell" since they are trying to get out of development and into production.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

What they should do is make a robotech game which is an mmog.

Then make a movie based on the game.

What do you think of my idea?

[EXO]

What they should do is make a robotech game which is an mmog.

Then make a movie based on the game.

What do you think of my idea?

keep the day job.

[ABetterTimeandPlace]

Wow, that's a tricky sentence... "all" meaning "none'?

"All" meaning, well, "all." I was responding to the statement, "All of the original people who were involved with it still are." I was pointing out, in the case of the writers, that's not true.

[Morpheus]

What they should do is make a robotech game which is an mmog.

Then make a movie based on the game.

What do you think of my idea?

It will be full of gold seller on its Beta launch.

[Keith]

The funny thing is, their animated sequel seems to be in an equal measure of developement limbo. Meanwhile, we've gotten a 25 episode Macross TV series and movie followup (or clip down..). Hazzah!

[Agent ONE]

RT better get on with it and do something before its fans die of old age.

[jenius]

The funny thing is, their animated sequel seems to be in an equal measure of developement limbo. Meanwhile, we've gotten a 25 episode Macross TV series and movie followup (or clip down..). Hazzah!

The bits I've read have actually been pretty funny in regard to this. "We can't do anything right now because of the potential movie... and we can't say there's been any progress with the movie."

[Gubaba]

The bits I've read have actually been pretty funny in regard to this. "We can't do anything right now because of the potential movie... and we can't say there's been any progress with the movie."

And let's hope it stays that way.

[Keith]

No, the Shadow Chronicles must be finished, so that the Robotech fanbase can get the full brunt of what's coming to them. If it's not finished, they'll keep up hope of the franchise somehow getting better, or conitnuing in some kind of positive direction, basically, what will never happen

[EXO]

SC is just Sentinels redux... if they didnt get it then what makes you think they're gonna get it now? As long as they have the license they'll bleed Rick Hunter passed death, or anything that's related to the Macross Saga.

[Keith]

My favorite part "Oh here he is, he's coming back...PSYCHE!" Well played HG, keep that carrot dangling!

[jenius]

RT.com has an interview up with some guy (Chuck Rove) saying they're still working on the script but he really hopes they start going to film next year. He also states that Tobey is currently still only a producer for the movie and when asked if it takes place on Earth he says just that the impetus to all the action will be an attack on Earth.

Edited October 22, 2008 by jenius

[EXO]

Wow. Flashback to last page...

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=&a...st&p=674423

[Roger]

I think its fair to say that the Robotech Live Action movie is at a stage in Hollywood known as DEVELOPMENT HELL.

[Einherjar]

I think its fair to say that the Robotech Live Action movie is at a stage in Hollywood known as DEVELOPMENT HELL.

Development hell = hemorrhaging money?

[jenius]

Wow. Flashback to last page...

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=&a...st&p=674423

That's what I get for not reading more closely. It seems odd that there'd be an interview with someone saying they're working hard on Robotech the LAM and then see the speculation here that it was stuck in development hell... he didn't mention anything about "other priorities" or "back burners" or "legal difficulties" or "production issues." Oh well, I love wild and baseless speculation as much as the next person.

[CoryHolmes]

I love wild and baseless speculation as much as the next person.

If you didn't, you're so on the wrong message boards

[lord_breetai]

That's what I get for not reading more closely. It seems odd that there'd be an interview with someone saying they're working hard on Robotech the LAM and then see the speculation here that it was stuck in development hell... he didn't mention anything about "other priorities" or "back burners" or "legal difficulties" or "production issues." Oh well, I love wild and baseless speculation as much as the next person.

Well it's Robotech, which means that the Universe/God/Karma will not let it succcede, because of it's inferiority to Macross and because of some buisness tactics that HG made in the 80s which were common place at the time. Macross Worlder's understand this when companies and marketing executives do not... Robotech is dead, always will be dead and any attempts to revive it are doomed to failure because it's impossible for anything good to come out of Robotech. The great will of the Universe demands this. Sadly Holywood marketing executives, great screenwriters and producers don't realize this... that's why it is the sworn duty of Macross World to point these things out.

If not this board then who will proclaim these great truths.

okay that's enough sarcasm for the day.

[justvinnie]

Somehow the three posts above mine sound delusional.

RT has always had a cult following: a small but dedicated group of devotees venerating the show despite everything. How else could you explain the adulation of RT:TSC?

I don't really expect the RT movie to be any better than RT:TSC. Maybe some good eye candy since HW is involved but that's about it. The way I see it, RT people live in the past. They want more of the same instead of new innovations. Frankly I'm bored with the same old stuff. It's time to move on. Maybe that was why RT was originally so successful, the blending of 3 shows meant that each "saga" had to move on beyond the last one.

Whatever you may think of Macross, each show is distinct from previous incarnation.

vinnie

[azrael]

Thankfully, our Macross is safe and sound.

Do RT fans live in the past? Perhaps.

Will a RT movie do good? I haven't seen a script or a director attach themselves to this movie so I can't say. But as a word of warning, the TF fans cringed at Bayformers (and still cringe), yet it actually did well in the box office. No one can really say how a RT movie will do. As fans of Macross, we cringe at RT. Loathe it. But if it gets a green light, you can bet that they will try to get the non-fans, people who've never heard of Robotech or Macross, into the theaters. And if it generates a new fanbase for RT, well, you know where I'm going with this.

I will maintain my stance, I want to see a script, and if a director attaches themselves to this project, I want to know who.

[Roger]

And if it generates a new fanbase for RT, well, you know where I'm going with this.

I don't see where you're going with this. Could you spell it out for me?

[azrael]

I don't see where you're going with this. Could you spell it out for me?

If a RT movie does well enough to generate a new RT fanbase, then expect more RT stuff to come. But this would assume a movie will be made and will do good, which is something I can't answer since it hasn't gotten to that point yet. It's a what-if. Now, if a movie does get made, goes sour in the box office, well, then we could say that a movie is the final nail-in-the-coffin.

[jenius]

Seriously though, if a movie gets made and flops, it doesn't really hurt HG all that bad. Sure, it doesn't catapult them like a successful movie would but they've gotten some money from selling the rights already and even if it flops it goes to the old addage of "there's no such thing as 'bad' press." It's not like HG stands to lose money from a flop, just WB.

[Gubaba]

Thankfully, our Macross is safe and sound.

Do RT fans live in the past? Perhaps.

Will a RT movie do good? I haven't seen a script or a director attach themselves to this movie so I can't say. But as a word of warning, the TF fans cringed at Bayformers (and still cringe), yet it actually did well in the box office. No one can really say how a RT movie will do. As fans of Macross, we cringe at RT. Loathe it. But if it gets a green light, you can bet that they will try to get the non-fans, people who've never heard of Robotech or Macross, into the theaters. And if it generates a new fanbase for RT, well, you know where I'm going with this.

I will maintain my stance, I want to see a script, and if a director attaches themselves to this project, I want to know who.

Since, as you say, it's far too early to tell anything (especially whether or not the project is in Development Hell. For goodness sake, it was only ANNOUNCED about a year ago...these things take time. Lots of time), I'm just musing here...if the movie DOES get made, and somehow manages to be very successful indeed, is there the slightest possibility that it would send people back to the Robotech cartoon...which then would get some of those people to check out Macross, which could then put pressure on the people involved to bring out more Macross to the western world?

In other words, we know that Frontier has definitely helped expand "Macross Awareness." Might a Robotech movie accomplish that as well...?

(Probably not, but thought I might as well ask...)

[Roger]

Conceivably it could. But Big West and Tatsunoko would have to settle their differences or come up with a new set of agreements for Macross to extend beyond Japan again.

[dreamweaver13]

Since, as you say, it's far too early to tell anything (especially whether or not the project is in Development Hell. For goodness sake, it was only ANNOUNCED about a year ago...these things take time. Lots of time), I'm just musing here...if the movie DOES get made, and somehow manages to be very successful indeed, is there the slightest possibility that it would send people back to the Robotech cartoon...which then would get some of those people to check out Macross, which could then put pressure on the people involved to bring out more Macross to the western world?

In other words, we know that Frontier has definitely helped expand "Macross Awareness." Might a Robotech movie accomplish that as well...?

(Probably not, but thought I might as well ask...)

yes and no. if people are driven to check out the source material, it would be from a purely RT perspective. while they may appreciate the macross universe, they would still look at it as something that simply "inspired" RT. Hence, a new generation of people aware of Macross, but with an RT twist. and the cycle begins anew.

as for the pressure, i think it would work to our disadvantage. the more the demand, the stronger HG will hold on to its rights over the property. (with the prospect of big money, you expect HG to suddenly go soft? hell, no.). and if there is indeed pressure, it will come from the new generation of RT/Macross fans, who would be happy enough with an HG version of RT merchandise; original macross merch be damned.

[Roger]

If a Robotech movie came out and if it was a huge hit like the Transformers one, then there would be a whole new group of consumers to exploit. These people would greatly outnumber the old fans of Robotech or Macross. Wondrous and horrible things could happen, all for the pursuit of the glorious dollar, including a final resolution to the logjam that has plagued the international flow of Macross product for the past ten years.

(If you don't believe in this phenomenon, just wait until you see Terminator: Salvation to see what kinds of things are possible when there's money to be vacuumed out of peoples' pockets.)

[Gubaba]

yes and no. if people are driven to check out the source material, it would be from a purely RT perspective. while they may appreciate the macross universe, they would still look at it as something that simply "inspired" RT. Hence, a new generation of people aware of Macross, but with an RT twist. and the cycle begins anew.

as for the pressure, i think it would work to our disadvantage. the more the demand, the stronger HG will hold on to its rights over the property. (with the prospect of big money, you expect HG to suddenly go soft? hell, no.). and if there is indeed pressure, it will come from the new generation of RT/Macross fans, who would be happy enough with an HG version of RT merchandise; original macross merch be damned.

If a Robotech movie came out and if it was a huge hit like the Transformers one, then there would be a whole new group of consumers to exploit. These people would greatly outnumber the old fans of Robotech or Macross. Wondrous and horrible things could happen, all for the pursuit of the glorious dollar, including a final resolution to the logjam that has plagued the international flow of Macross product for the past ten years.

(If you don't believe in this phenomenon, just wait until you see Terminator: Salvation to see what kinds of things are possible when there's money to be vacuumed out of peoples' pockets.)

Both good points...it really could go either way, and a lot depends on what the final film (assuming there is one) turns out to be. But I'm beginning to see a possible silver lining...mostly since i realized a while back that if Carl Macek hadn't been an idiot, and had actually picked up DYRL for release as a "Robotech Movie" (instead of saying it would be confusing for RT fans), Animeigo might have been able to pick it up when they did SDFM.

But it is indeed a slender hope, based as it is on the idea that a bunch of kids in 2015 (or whenever the movie would get released) will say, "Damn, that movie's GREAT! Let's check out the thirty-year-old cartoon it's based on!" And then that they would further state, "Damn, this cartoon SUCKS! Maybe we'll like it better if we watch it in its original language!"

Neither of which seem terribly likely.

[azrael]

...if the movie DOES get made, and somehow manages to be very successful indeed, is there the slightest possibility that it would send people back to the Robotech cartoon...which then would get some of those people to check out Macross, which could then put pressure on the people involved to bring out more Macross to the western world?

In other words, we know that Frontier has definitely helped expand "Macross Awareness." Might a Robotech movie accomplish that as well...?

(Probably not, but thought I might as well ask...)

That would be the favorable side-effect if a RT movie made it and makes it. But RT isn't Macross. RT is its own monster.

as for the pressure, i think it would work to our disadvantage. the more the demand, the stronger HG will hold on to its rights over the property. (with the prospect of big money, you expect HG to suddenly go soft? hell, no.). and if there is indeed pressure, it will come from the new generation of RT/Macross fans, who would be happy enough with an HG version of RT merchandise; original macross merch be damned.

Well, someone figured out where I was going with that line of thought.

But yes, the overall effect would be we would have a whole new string of fans to deal with. Ones who entered this little genre via the live-action. How that will play out would depend on how this movie goes.

[EXO]

If a Robotech movie came out and if it was a huge hit like the Transformers one, then there would be a whole new group of consumers to exploit. These people would greatly outnumber the old fans of Robotech or Macross. Wondrous and horrible things could happen, all for the pursuit of the glorious dollar, including a final resolution to the logjam that has plagued the international flow of Macross product for the past ten years.

(If you don't believe in this phenomenon, just wait until you see Terminator: Salvation to see what kinds of things are possible when there's money to be vacuumed out of peoples' pockets.)

So the message here is: embrace Robotech now, if you know what's good for Macross.

Honestly, I don't care what it does for Macross. I honestly dont think it'll make a good movie. I can't remember the last time I liked a lawrence Kasdan film... Raiders? in 1981? It wasn't even his story, he just wrote in screenplay form. Silverado was only OK. I heard the Big Chill was good, but again... 1983.

But if they can churn out a great giant transforming movie, I wouldn't be against it. But honestly, I'm hoping they don't try to do the Macross saga unless they can do it without any compromise. I'm hoping they do a whole different story and just use the name Robotech. I woud hate to see some Americanized version of the VF-1 and some weird rehash of the Micron vs. Zaentradi story. Either they do it right, (I don't care if is name is Hikaru or Rick, but as long as we can geek out on all the mechs as we love them and is told really well.) or don't even try. And I know they cant do the first so hopefully it's the latter and we see tobey as Scott Bernard in the fast and the furious version of the Mospeada bike.

[EXO]

I just reread my own post and... yup... RT the movie is just a bad idea...

[Morpheus]

I wouldn't mind if RT the movie becoming Robot Jox remake, just change the pilot name into rick and make it powered by mutated flowers.

[Keith]

Hmm, so should we take bets on what will materialize first? Robotech movie, Voltron movie, or Thundercats movie? I'd throw Dragonball in there, but that's actually been filming.