LIVE ACTION ROBOTECH (WB gets the rights)

[Jasonc]

I think the Expidition would still make the best movie for the general public, piss of the least ammount of fans and be one of the few possible ways to make this owrk in the frame work of continuity.

True, but it wouldn't be as popular with the casual fans. As a big business venture, I'm sure they are all looking at this as to how much interest, more directly, how much money will this bring in. the Macross saga is the bread and butter for Robotech. I'm sure they've got to get that under the belt before looking at any of the other series if they want to do this, and kick off the movie right. even if it's a flop, their best chance is by going with the root of it all, Macross.

[CoryHolmes]

The biggest problem with making a Robotech movie is that it's an 85-episode seralized show, where one episode directly affects the next. Skipping through to any part of the story without telling the bits before will just gut it and gouge out chunks of character and plot development, and we all know that the characters are the real highlight of the show.

[jenius]

Well yeah, you definitely can't make 85 episodes into one movie but DYRL proved you can definitely condense the first chapter pretty well but changes will have to be made.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Which is why I say: the focus should be on the crew of SDF-1, (and why we care about the ship and the people in it) and not the love triangle. Just have the love triangle in the background. Rick is going off to war to die, and then says to minmay "I might not be back so blah blah " and then that's it, have both women fight for his attention. Don't make it be long and drawn out like the series, (or even bother with the post rain episodes which moved at a snails pace) just have it be part of the end where the characters act true to themselves and their feelings because they are close to death fighting the giant aliens and have slim chances of beating them so this is the last chance they have to say something.

Yes have SC and Mospeada, but honestly you can't have three wars worth of content in a single movie. If they say "we have intentions on making this a franchise", then take the content seriously and give us three seperate times for three seperate wars. It won't make sense to have young rick, with young scott, with young max and miriya, who already had their daughter before meeting..... all in the same time. Dana should be stuck on earth while the two parents go off to fight.

To show one from one period is to destroy chances of seeing the other. It's multigenerational. I want to see a movie where the humans have only just decided to go into space and the ship is their pride and then a sudden attack happens right from the start with no time to prepare. I think the fans would be angry if it didn't feature emphasis on how the SDF1 was involved since it is the reason for the 3 aliens coming to earth. So really..take your time, understand what the fan wants, respect the source, but make any changes that will be good for the pace of a movie. (no long ass period with nothing happening like the post rain episodes. Remember that macross was drawn out because they didn't expect it to be so popular so it felt artificially stretched back into a long series which is why the ending is so anti-climatic compared to the episode where the aliens get decisively beaten.)

If the "macross" is the cause of all the war, then you have to tell us what it is, what makes it special, (culture, magic battery, whatever) and give us reasons to care about the people involved in that war. (unless you want to try telling the story back to front and make it a prequel )) THEN you can talk about the mospeada stuff and the characters from those wars. But when an alien mentions the protoculture thing you'd at least want to know what the hell they are talking about when mentioning it. And that goes straight back to the actual ship: macross. But if we don't care what macross is, don't know why its special, it would be like missing pages of a book.

All we have so far is the "script isn't written yet, we are just starting", but I hope the writer tries to be (if not trying to make things visually like the cartoon) at least in the same spirit of it. I personally don't want a mixturue of technology appearing in macross. So I'm against having Alphas in the first war, because the mecha were smaller in the third war as a way to fight the smaller aliens. The giants, the mind controllers, and insects should all feel like they fight in a unique way and have a different history.

1. uses brute force in numbers and training them only for combat (the space equivalent to the spartans? )

2. uses soldiers it has captured against the enemy as if zombies to save resources (but whose race is slowly dying off - you feel sorry for them in a way like the aliens in space cruise yamato)

3. adapts to the forms of the creatures that are most suited for combat on the planet it fights in. Ie shapeshifting and evolving. I think they should be presented as very scary and disgusting and bring in more gore and horror and suspense into the show. Like a survival horror and stealth thing with focus on only a small group of people forced to move silently lest they give away their position. More suspense and focus on individual characters should be in no.3 since you don't have mass attacks until the end)

Edited September 14, 2007 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Duke Togo]

Not to beat a dead horse, but HG and WB cannot legally make a Macross movie. To debate about it is pointless.

[Keith]

Not to beat a dead horse, but HG and WB cannot legally make a Macross movie. To debate about it is pointless.

Word.

[myk]

Not to beat a dead horse, but HG and WB cannot legally make a Macross movie. To debate about it is pointless.

Yet here we are on page 20...

[Guest sh002]

would be cool to see live action cyclones done right if they decide to use those. ah we'll see what this movie turns out to be.

[Excillon]

I can see it now: Jack Black as Kaz/Ben Dixon...sigh...I'm also sure that Orlando Bloom will be thrown in there as well, maybe...if we're REALLY lucky we can get Affleck to play Roy!!!!!!!!!!!! Just picture old Ben with blonde bad 80's big hair! I think I'm gonna go puke now.

[Ishimaru]

Not to beat a dead horse, but HG and WB cannot legally make a Macross movie. To debate about it is pointless.

Yet here we are on page 20...

[Keith]

Ok, how about this. Prince as Max!

[ValkAce]

There is some buzz about this downtown.

Here are some of the rumors:

Rick Hunter: Toby McGuire

Roy Folker: Hugh Jackman

Max Sterling: James Franco

Ben Dixion: Seth Rogen

Capt. Gloval: Edward James Almos

Lisa Hayes: Katherine Heigl

Lynn Mynmay: Grace Park

Claudia Grant: Halle Berry

Miria Pirina: Gabrielle Anwar

Breetai: James Earl Jones

Excedor: Joe Pesci

Kyron: Sean Bean

Azonia: Famke Janssen

[jenius]

LOL!!! Robotech is not going to have a cast made up primarily of A-listers. The budget will be allocated to special effects, the actors will consist of names we might know, and maybe Tobey, but the rest are gonna be your Shya (sp?) LeDouche types as in up-and-comers or career small player artists. Seriously, Halle Berry as Claudia Grant??? In a movie Claudia's character WOULD (if this were a Macross adaptation) have like six lines... why would you pay Halle Berry for that?

Edited September 16, 2007 by jenius

[terry the lone wolf]

There is some buzz about this downtown.

Here are some of the rumors:

Rick Hunter: Toby McGuire

Roy Folker: Hugh Jackman

Max Sterling: James Franco

Ben Dixion: Seth Rogen

Capt. Gloval: Edward James Almos

Lisa Hayes: Katherine Heigl

Lynn Mynmay: Grace Park

Claudia Grant: Halle Berry

Miria Pirina: Gabrielle Anwar

Breetai: James Earl Jones

Excedor: Joe Pesci

Kyron: Sean Bean

Azonia: Famke Janssen

I really like Halle but c'mon she's really becoming the Billy Dee Williams of this generation. You want a certain role filled you call Halle. There's other Black actresses out there. Here's my list:

A) Stacey Dash

B) Holly Robinson Peete

C) Lynn Whitfield

D) Rae Dawn Chong

E) Nicole Ari Parker

F) Tamala Jones

G) Gloria Reuben

H) Cynda Williams

I) Lark Voorhies

Edited September 16, 2007 by terry the lone wolf

[Duke Togo]

We cast Robotech back when I was in high school, and it was far funnier than anything I've seen here. Emmanuel Lewis as Rick Hunter, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Lynn Minmay... Ah, I wish I could remember them all, comedy gold!

[chowyunskinny]

LOL!!! Robotech is not going to have a cast made up primarily of A-listers. The budget will be allocated to special effects, the actors will consist of names we might know, and maybe Tobey, but the rest are gonna be your Shya (sp?) LeDouche types as in up-and-comers or career small player artists. Seriously, Halle Berry as Claudia Grant??? In a movie Claudia's character WOULD (if this were a Macross adaptation) have like six lines... why would you pay Halle Berry for that?

While I agree that Halle Berry wouldn't be cost effective, you would pay her for the same reason they probably put her in X-men. Attractive Woman Name Recognition. She had minimal lines in that series (and some of the worst - "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning?"), but her name probably helped get some people in seats that wouldn't have normally seen a comic book movie.

for a 10 mil salary I'd hope they'd at least make her bare her Academy Award winning breasts while making some Pineapple Salad

[Roy Focker]

One problem that was X-men this is Robotech.

[big F]

well Im late to this party.

Part of me goes "YAY" and part of me wants to sell everyting macross related that I own and never talk of it again.

If it works great if it doesnt hopefully it will take down HG for ever. With transformers it was called a "rape of my childhood" by some but this could easily turn into more than that. My girlfriend already thinks Im a bit of a geek for having robot toys etc. If I take her to the movies to see RT and it is crap she`s gonna rib me forever.

I got one thing to say Shadow Cronicles Emphasize the "Cronic"

This is true, but there is a negative side to it for Macross fans. Should the Robotech movie be gawd awful, there will NEVER be any live action Macross adaptation. Every studio will instantly point to the money losing venture that was the Robotech film and it'll be buried for all time

Mr March puts it so well It could turn into the franchise torpeedo.

Edited September 16, 2007 by big F

[promethuem5]

To be fair, I cannot think of any way or reason a US live-action Macross movie would ever be made as it is... it's even more niche than Evangelion and that movie didn't actually make it past concept-art anyways...

[Keith]

We cast Robotech back when I was in high school, and it was far funnier than anything I've seen here. Emmanuel Lewis as Rick Hunter, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Lynn Minmay... Ah, I wish I could remember them all, comedy gold!

I think you're on to something there with Emmanuel Lewis, an all midget robotech movie. They could have cute little SD mecha, it'd be perfect!

[Warmaker]

No, Keith, no!

Say NO to a midget / SD Robotech. Why? Can you imagine a midget / SD rendition of "To Be In Love?"

*shudder*

I have to admit I love this thread. It seems I now know more people that have more panic over this news than I do

Edited September 17, 2007 by Warmaker

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I hope someone in the movie says: "Robotech to the rescue" as a nod to the toy ads. But said in a heroic voice with the guardian mode saving women by grabbing them with the mech's hand. Sort of like how in spiderman you had someone sing the theme-song to the old spiderman cartoon. ahah

[Warmaker]

Thanks, you made me remember those awful commercials, complete with Rick, Max, and... somebody... jumping out from a hole and blasting to the side of the screens with cheesey laser sound effects.

They were the Matchbox figures and vehicles. I recall only seeing the white / red "Rick" VF-1J out of the vehicles and was aghast of the overall shape and fatness of the whole thing. Especially since I had a 1/55 Hikaru VF-1S Strike at home from my birthday.

[Keith]

I hope the script mentions the word robotech at least 2 times for every line of dialogue!

[Excillon]

You know what would be great...let kevin smith direct it, and use his cast of regulars. Clerks meets Robotech! Here's a great cast:

Hunter: Jason Mewes

Dixon: Kevin smith

Focker: Jason Lee

Max: the guy who played elias in clerks 2.

Gloval: George Carlin

Minmay: The nerdy chick from Mallrats

Lisa: Carrie fisher (for old perverse reasons)

Then you could round out the Zentradei:

breetai: The guy who played Dante

Khyron: The guy who played Randall

And various cameos by the others who appeared in the films. That would be priceless!

Edited September 18, 2007 by Excillon

[vermillion01]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!

Jason mewes as Rick Hunter... "Snoochie Boochies Lisa" LOL

[altermodes]

Gee i wonderer what made them start to think about a Live Action Robotech movie.........

Even though HG are making a continuing story line of the 80's cartoon.

Edited September 18, 2007 by altermodes

[Kurisama]

Well - there are a few VERY Macross inspired shots of Starscream in Bayformers.

As soon as i saw them - i wondered how long it'd be until a Macross movie would hit the big screen.

[Steve68]

Assuming they actually try and stick to the Robotech story how much story is going to have to be edited out for the movie? What plot elements are essential? I seriously doubt it’s going to be 2 hours of Valkyries blowing sh!t up. Although I wouldn’t complain about that at all. I would like to see it given the LOTR treatment and have a couple of movies as it would be better for the story.

Done right I think 3 movies could be a huge cash cow, but done wrong a money sucking black hole.

I haven’t read the entire thread, but has anyone thought of Tobey as playing Max?

That Kevin Smith comment might not be so bad if he were to write the screenplay. I know he wrote one for Superman, but it wasn’t used. At least he is a comic book fan.

[Radd]

I still think that it's either going to be a drastically changed version of the Macross events, changed so much it doesn't resemble Macross at all, or more likely they'll skip ahead to MOSPEADA and only make references back to earlier events.

[justvinnie]

does anyone else think the very term "Robotech" is a bit hokey and lame? I just much prefer Overtech. It makes more sense too. Why the hell did humans called alien technology "robot technology"? It's not like we don't have robot technology of our own. But Over Technology is technology above that of human technology. Sorry, just something that's been irking me for years.

vinnie

[Jasonc]

The licensing debate I don't think will be much of an issue. This is WB, not HG. There are professionals there that will more than likely work out the details. If not, it could be a feature looking Robotech version of Battle Star Galactica.

[azrael]

does anyone else think the very term "Robotech" is a bit hokey and lame? I just much prefer Overtech. It makes more sense too. Why the hell did humans called alien technology "robot technology"? It's not like we don't have robot technology of our own. But Over Technology is technology above that of human technology. Sorry, just something that's been irking me for years.

Meh.

It ain't Macross anyways so I really don't care. The RT crowd can call it Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-tech and I won't care cuz it ain't Macross.

[Sumdumgai]

I think Robotech is hokey and lame. I just watched the intro to Robotech II: The Sentinels the other day and had to stop because it was causing me pain. Rick and Max's new character design and costume choices left me feeling like barfing.

[Keith]

The name came from Revell's marketting of the models before HG became involved. It was stupid then, and it's even stupider now. But it wouldn't 'make sense to go through the trouble of licensing a recognizble franchise, then change the name to something unrecognizable.