At this point, it seems like every Saturday morning cartoon to come out of the 1980s has been adapted into a live-action feature, but that is not the case. Fans have been waiting to see a live-action Voltron movie become a reality for quite some time but, luckily, the wait is almost over.
Amazon MGM has purchased the rights to an adaptation of the cult favorite animated series that is almost “ready to form” with a hot action filmmaker directing and an all-star cast set to appear. As we wait for mega-thrusters to be fully a-go, let’s take a look at everything there is to know about this upcoming sci-fi movie so far in our following guide to the Voltron movie.
What Is The Voltron Release Date?
As of November 2024, Amazon MGM’s Voltron movie has no set release date. There is not even any word on when principal photography is expected to begin, so we can probably throw any hope for a spot on our upcoming 2025 movie schedule out the window.
What Voltron Is About
From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe – or, more accurately in 1984 from Japan – came the classic animated TV show, Voltron: Defender of the Universe. The sensational series from developers Ted Koplar and Peter Keefe was actually a dubbed-over and re-edited version of creator Saburō Yatsude’s Japanese anime series Beast King GoLion, which originally debuted three years earlier.
The series, the first of several iterations in the sci-fi franchise, chronicles the adventures of a group of five young space explorers who pilot robots that resemble lions and can combine into one large battle machine. How this series will be reimagined and what adventure these brave defenders will embark on in Amazon MGM’s upcoming Voltron remains under wraps.
The Voltron Cast
We are also not sure who each member of the Voltron cast is playing as their roles are still undisclosed at the moment. However, the ensemble is an undeniably exciting one.
Henry Cavill
Voltron is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Henry Cavill movies, which also includes Chad Stahelski’s Highlander remake and another futuristic battle project for Amazon called Warhammer 40K, which is based on the tabletop game of the same name. The English actor’s most notable previous acting efforts include playing the DCEU’s Superman and portraying Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s series adaptation of The Witcher.
Sterling K. Brown
Also no stranger to great superhero movies (having appeared in the 2018 Marvel movie, Black Panther) and reboots of great sci-fi movies (he was in The Predator that same year) is Sterling K. Brown. The St. Louis, Missouri, native is even better known, however, for his Emmy-winning role in NBC’s This is Us cast as Randall Pearson and his Academy Award-nominated role in American Fiction as Clifford Ellison.
Rita Ora
While her acting career really began when she was 13 with an appearance in the British drama The Brief and the crime film Spivs in 2004, Rita Ora made a breakthrough as an actor with her role as Mia in the Fifty Shades of Grey cast. Since then, the pop singer-songwriter and panelist for the UK version of The Mask Singer has starred in Detective Pikachu, Wonderwell with Carrie Fisher, and the Netflix animated series, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.
John Kim
In a reversal of Voltron’s development, John Kim has previously starred in a few TV show adaptations of popular properties, such as TNT’s The Librarians (based on a series of made-for-TV movies), The CW’s Nancy Drew (based on the iconic mystery novels), Apple TV+’s The Last Thing He Told Me (based on Laura Dave’s book), and Amazon’s Cruel Intentions series. The actor is also known for the Australian soap opera Neighbours, the 2021 detective thriller The Little Things, Netflix’s Purple Hearts, and Fox’s 9-1-1.
Alba Baptista
Best known for leading Netflix’s Warrior Nun, Alba Baptista also turned heads with her memorable performance in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. The Portuguese actor has an upcoming A24 movie on the way called Mother Mary.
Samson Kayo
Audiences may recognize Samson Kayo from the English sitcom Bloods as paramedic Maleek, as Oluwande in Max’s cancelled adventure comedy Our Flag Means Death, or from the Puss in Boots: The Last Wish voice cast as Baby Bear. The British-Nigerian comedian appeared in House of the Dragon Season 2 as Mujja and is also set to star in the Joseph Kosinski’s F1 opposite Brad Pitt.
Tharanya Tharan
Tharanya Tharan will be making her feature film debut with Voltron. The Australian actor first broke out on the sports drama Mustangs FC before appearing alongside Charlie Hunnam on Apple TV+’s action series Shantaram and starring on the coming-of-age TV show, Year Of.
Daniel Quinn-Toye
Voltron will also be a major cinematic breakthrough for Daniel Quinn-Toye, whose debut feature, a World War II drama called Pressure, is currently in production. The Scottish actor’s only other screen acting credit so far is a 2014 episode of a sitcom called Badults.
Rawson Marshall Thurber Is Directing Voltron
The person helming Voltron is Rawson Marshall Thurber, whose involvement with the project was initially announced in 2022. In a video shown at 2024’s Voltcon (which the filmmaker also shared on Instagram), he had this to say about his intentions for the film:
I want to make sure that we stay true to the heart and the spirit of Voltron. In this film, we're going to be introducing an entirely new generation of pilots. We've reimagined Voltron for the live-action world, but we're going to stay true to...those iconic elements that you love, that I love. And I'm so excited to share it with you.
Thurber is no stranger to the action movie genre, having most recently helmed three of the best Dwayne Johnson movies in recent memory – namely 2016’s Central Intelligence, Skyscraper in 2018, and Red Notice from 2021. However, he made his directorial debut with the 2004 slapstick comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which he followed with the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age movie The Mysteries of Pittsburgh in 2008 and a road trip comedy with Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston called We’re the Millers.
Plans For A Voltron Movie Date Back To The Mid-2000s
The live-action Voltron movie is just now getting off the ground but it has actually been in development for nearly two decades. In 2005, THR (via IGN) reported that producer Mark Gordon was teaming with Pharrell Williams for an adaptation, supposedly to cash in on the anticipation for the first of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, which are also based on a fighting robot cartoon.
In 2011, the rights to produce the feature were purchased by Relativity Media, whose declaration of Chapter 11 bankruptcy caused the project to hit a snag four years later. According to Deadline, in 2016, Universal and DreamWorks Animation announced it would take over the project but updates on its status would go quiet until Amazon and MGM’s acquisition.
How To Watch The Original Voltron TV Show
Voltron: Defender of the Universe remains a beloved classic that fans still watch to this day… primarily on DVD, as the series’ original, English-dubbed iteration is currently not streaming in its completion. However, with a Netflix subscription, you can check out the latest, well-received installment of the franchise, Voltron: Legendary Defender, which aired from 2016 to 2018.
You know, I recall a time in 2007 when fans were convinced that we were getting a Voltron movie much sooner, following the release of a mysterious movie trailer in which a New Yorker is heard reacting to an attack on the city by screaming, “I saw it. It’s a lion. It’s huge!” As it turns out, the line was, “I saw it. It’s alive. It’s huge!” and the trailer was a teaser for the then-untitled found footage horror movie, Cloverfield. Hopefully, when the real Voltron movie trailer comes out, no one confuses it for an unrelated monster movie.
