New Writer for Astro Boy Movie

Reports say that the "Astro Boy" movie is getting a new scripter in Timothy Harris. This is the second shake-up for the CGI flick since January when director Colin Brady was replaced by Flushed Away's David Bowers...

The original script for "Astro Boy" had been written by Michael Lachance of "Kung Fu Panda" fame, but now Harris, who has penned such movies as "Kindergarten Cop," will be taking on the story.

The classic manga by legendary Osamu Tezuka tells the story of "Astro Boy," a boy-robot in search of his creator and struggling with his more 'human' qualities. Of course, in between the soul searching there are plenty of battles with mad scientists and master criminals. Brady had originally imagined the story as a 'dark Pinocchio' tale, but who knows what Harris may have planned now that he is in charge.

So just like the last time when there was a personnel change on the project, everyone seems really excited about the changes afoot (what else could they say?). Harris was quoted as saying,

"'Astro Boy' is a dream animation project. It's a classic, as timeless as Oliver Twist, set in the most incredible futuristic world. It's one of those stories that moves you emotionally while being funny and entertaining at the same time."

Too bad you can't say the same thing about some of Harris' other projects, including Kindergarten Cop and Space Jam. Astro Boy is set to arrive in theaters in 2009.

AstroBoy Movie [updates]

AstroBoy holds a special meaning for all anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) fanatics. Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga masterpiece is going to face the modern audience under the direction of David Bowers, known for his projects Shark Tale, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Flushed Away among others. Bowers confesses to being a long-time AstroBoy fan. Bowers commented:

"I’ve had a lifelong affection for the original AstroBoy, so am looking forward to giving him the full action-adventure Hollywood treatment. His story is both emotional and spectacular, so it absolutely lends itself to the big screen. With the amazing crew that Imagi has assembled, I feel there’s an opportunity to create something very special – a film to surprise audiences, have them on the edge of their seats, and hopefully make them laugh, too.”

Astro Boy, the iconic character created by the “god of manga”, Japan’s Osamu Tezuka, has enjoyed great acclaim and success around the world as the hero of an animated television series which originally aired in the 1960s, with subsequent versions delighting new generations of fans.

Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.

David Bowers (Flushed Away) is the director of AstroBoy, slated for worldwide release in 2009.

AstroBoy the movie will be released on 2009 by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company.

New Astroboy Movie Announced!

An Astroboy movie is in production. After years of rumors and speculation, Astro will finally be coming to us on the big screen. The movie, announced earlier this month, is being produced by Imagi studios, the same studio who brought us TMNT earlier in the year. The movie, like TMNT, is expected to be a full CGI animation, though we will have to wait until 2009 for its release.

The Director for the movie will be David Bowers part of the team who create the movie "A Shark's Tale", and also directed the animation "Flush Away".

For now, all we have to do is to wait for the movie to come out mid-2009. :)