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DC Universe star Henry Cavill is set to headline Amazon MGM’s feature adaptation of popular anime Voltron which Rawson Marshall Thurber is directing.

Cavill joins previously announced star Daniel Quinn-Toye. Thurber is directing the film from a script he wrote with Ellen Shanman. The storyline is being kept secret. Deadline first told you about Amazon MGM Studios winning the Voltron project in a bid back in 2022.

Voltron is based on the 1980s animated TV series that followed a team of space explorers who pilot a giant super robot known as Voltron and was adapted from several Japanese anime TV series from Toei Animation. The series was produced by Peter Keefe and Ted Koplar through their production company World Events Productions. The original television series aired in syndication from Sept. 10, 1984, to Nov. 18, 1985. The first season of Voltron, featured the “Lion Force Voltron” and was adapted from the series Beast King GoLion.

The legend returns. As part of its deal with DreamWorks Animation, Netflix is rebooting the animated adventure series, Voltron. The original syndicated series, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, premiered in September, 1984 and ran through November, 1985. It spawned specials, sequels, comics, toys, and video games.

The original Voltron series voice cast includes: Jack Angel, Michael Bell, Peter Cullen, Neil Ross, B.J. Ward, Lennie Weinrib, and Tress MacNeille. It was executive produced by Peter Keefe, with Steve Sterling, producing. It can be found on Netflix and Hulu, with mini episodes on Crackle.

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Classic Media, in collaboration with World Events Productions (Wep), will release the first seven episodes of the 1980's animated, robot-themed, TV action series, "Voltron: Defender Of The Universe" on a brand new DVD, titled "Voltron: The Legend Begins":

"...the saga begins with the origin story, when a brave team of space explorers, 'Keith', 'Lance', 'Sven', 'Hunk' and 'Pidge', search for the keys to five mythical robot lions on the planet 'Arus'.

"Arus has been destroyed by the armies of 'King Zarkon' and his use of giant 'Robeast' monsters created by the witch 'Haggar'. The planet's only hope lies in the discovery of these five robot lions, which combine together to form the mighty robot, 'Voltron: Defender of the Universe'..."

The original "Voltron" cartoon series was created by Peter Keefe in 1983 using material licensed from the Japanese cartoons "Beast King GoLion" and 'Armored Fleet Dairugger Xv".

The producers...

With the Transformers world somewhat coming an end now that director Michael Bay and star Shia Labeouf are dropping out of any more sequels, it seems like the right time to launch yet another blockbuster robot franchise. Relativity is now looking into kicking off a live-action adaptation of Voltron.

The original series was created by Peter Keefe in 1983 using material he had licensed from the Japanese cartoons Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger Xv. The producers had no means of translating the Japanese series into English, so they surmised the plots and created all-new dialog, editing out the more violent scenes and remixing the audio into a stereo format. The series was an immediate hit in the United States, topping the syndication market for children’s programs in the mid-1980s.

World Event Productions originally had plans to bring the animated 80′s series to the big screen but decided...

Giant lion robots could one day be heading to our screens, as news again surfaces of a revival of 80s animated series, Voltron...

As Hollywood's filmmakers and executives delve ever further into the archives of history in search of inspiration, they continue to dredge up increasingly odd, obscure properties to revive as 21st century blockbusters.

One of the more recent suggestions has been to create a movie based on the 80s animated series, Voltron. No doubt thought of in the light of the success of Michael Bay's Transformers movies, talk of a movie based on Voltron has been circulating for some time.

Now, though, New York Times movie blog, Vulture, has reported that a full-on bidding war has broken out over the financing for a big-budget adaptation of the giant robot series, with The Dark Knight Rises producer Charles Roven involved and writers Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer working on a script.

This past summer teased “Voltron” fans by offering as much evidence as anyone had ever seen that there would soon be a live-action adaptation of the beloved 1980s cartoon about a giant robot composed of smaller lion robots operated by people.

As producer Ted Koplar of World Events (the production company behind the original cartoon) told MTV News, “Voltron” “outperformed the Transformers” in its heyday, so naturally the thought of reprising the franchise has generated no small amount of interest from Hollywood. We even saw some leaked concept art of the titular robot amongst a decimated NYC. But if one sign of a movie being on its way proves it is—even more so than full color concept art—it’s a bidding war.

And according to Vulture, that's exactly what broke out recently over the rights to make a "Voltron" movie.

According to the blog, producers Charles Roven (“The Dark Knight Rises...

Although the proposed adaptation for the 80s animated series “The Thundercats” never got of the ground, Voltron is still in the works, and after the completion of the Transformers trilogy, Hollywood is looking for its next big robot film. We have already seen some amazing concept art for the potential film, but nothing as come of it until now. Vulture has word of studios currently in a bidding war over “The Defender of the Universe.”

Relativity Media is just one of the studios interested in purchasing the movie rights for Voltron, the other one being Atlas Entertainment producers Charles Roven (The Dark Knight Rises) and Richard Suckle, who have been developing a script with screenwriters Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.

Now, one of the reasons why the process of turning this into a potential hit film is taking so long has to do with the show’s creator, Peter Keefe.

News of Voltron: Defender of the Universe coming to theater screens has been kicking around for quite sometime, but now it seems the proposed live action-cgi adaptation of the popular animated series may becoming a reality. As a bidding war for franchise rights has begun, with Relativity Media leading the charge.

World Events Productions is the company behind the original 1984 program that featured iconic robotic lions and their human pilots who would gather to form the gigantic Voltron. Atlas Entertainment had been developing a screenplay, written by Conan the Barbarian's Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, for quite sometime. Many fans thought the project was dead. With various different production companies currently vying for the rights, it looks like Voltron: Defender of the Universe will actually be heading into production very soon.

One of the reasons Voltron: Defender of the Universe has taken so long to reach the big...

There's been some talk on and off about a possible "Voltron" movie happening, which wouldn't be surprising at all. After Michael Bay's "Transformers" first burst onto the scene, everyone's slowly starting to catch big metal monster fever to a certain degree.When concept art popped up on JoBlo today for a pitch to bring "Voltron" onto the big screen, you know this baby will more than likely get green lit. The pictures alone down below show the super awesome potential that an cg-animated "Voltron" film would have. "Voltron" was created by Peter Keefe in the mid '80s that basically contained a group of people who could control five robot lions that would combine to form the sweet robot you see down below. Depending on which version you watch, they're protecting said planet and defeating any sort of evil that threatens it.Look at the pictures below and tell...

Peter Keefe adapted the Japanese anime series Go Lion and Dierugger for American audiences as the popular syndicated series Voltron in the mid-1980s. He also wrote an episode of the television horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside in 1987, and created the French-u.S. animated co-production Denver, the Last Dinosaur in 1988. He teamed with Brian Lacey to form Zodiac Entertainment in 1989, and created and produced such animated series as Widget, the World Watcher, The Mr. Bogus Show, and Twinkle, the Dream Being. He also produced the 2005 animated holiday special Nine Dog Christmas. He was developing the animated action series Z-Force (Zodiac Force) at the time of his death.

Keefe died of throat cancer in Rochester, New York on May 27, 2010 at age 57.

Peter Keefe, creator of the 80's hit sensation Voltron, passed away May 27th, 2010. His brother Chris Keefe had said his brother passed away due to complications from throat cancer. In additional to his brothers Chris and Tony, Mr. Keefe is survived by his wife, Pamela Mills Keefe, a stepson, James Mills; his mother, Anne Keefe,and three sisters, Lisa Keefe Updaw, Mollie Keefe Jones, and Kitty Keefe of Cleveland.

Keefe created Voltron by way of licensing Japanese cartoons “Beast King Go-Lion” and “Armored Fleet Dairugger Xv,” which he discovered in 1983 at a merchandise licensing convention in Japan. Give credit where it's due kiddos. Keefe's splicing of show content, and creating "western friendly" plot helped Americanize Voltron as the predecessor to the eventual "Power Rangers" empire in the 1990s. Keefe was said to "live and breathe Voltron", taking over the reigns for several other iterations of the lion-led animated super-team after...

TV producer Peter Keefe, the man behind classic children's cartoon series Voltron: Defender Of The Universe, has lost his battle with throat cancer.

He passed away in Rochester, New York on Thursday at the age of 57.

Keefe enjoyed a career in animation spanning more than two decades, creating and producing hours upon hours of kids and family shows.

He began adapting Japanese cartoons like Go Lion and Dierugger for western audiences in the mid-1980s and created his most famous franchise, Voltron.

The animated series began syndication in the U.S. in September, 1984 and still continues to draw viewers across the world in more than 100 countries.

It also served as the inspiration for other hugely popular cartoons Pokemon and Power Rangers, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Keefe's other creations include Denver, the Last Dinosaur, Widget, The Mr. Bogus Show and Twinkle.

He is survived by his wife Pamela Mills Keefe, stepson James, mother Anne, three sisters and two brothers.