Hey, do you remember that one guy?

You know, the guy who mentioned the Warner Bros./Maguire Ent. ROBOTECH live action thing? The producer guy? The one in the interview that's still linked at ROBOTECH.COM? Well, according to Anime News Network he's off the project. This leaves Akiva "sure, I wrote Batman & Robin, but I also have an Oscar, so screw you, fanboy" Goldsman and Tobey "oh god, I'm going to be playing Spider-Man for the rest of my life" Maguire as the remaining producers on the project.

Soooooo, anyone heard anything about that script the Smallville guys are working on?

Half a month of Robotech & Macross links.

The pics have got nothing to do with the links; I'm just in a Masters kind of mood. It's probably that I'm on a "Holy crap, Palladium knocked that Macross book out of the park -- can't wait for the Masters book!" high ...

I just finally cracked open my copy of the Macross Saga Sourcebook today. A couple of opinions on it can be found here (from a self-described "tamed" Macross purist), and here (from my old pal Tolarin; if you've checked the comments for my post on Lonely Soldier Boy II, you may have already read this). Both reviews bring some interesting insight to bear.

Me, I think I need another couple of days to digest the book. Lots of interesting revisions, retcons, and rewrites throughout.

From the end of last month: a ToonZone review of the Shadow Chronicles Blu-Ray disc. Mind you, if you've seen one review of Shadow Chronicles, you've seen 'em all ...

Unless you've been internet-deprived all day long, you've probably heard from one of a dozen or more sources that Warner Bros. ROBOTECH film has picked up some new screenwriters, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who you may be familiar with as the long-standing showrunners for the WB (later CW) TV series Smallville. Kind of a step down from Lawrence "two-thirds of the original Star Wars trilogy and the first/best Indiana Jones movie" Kasdan, if you ask me. (Tip of the hat to fellow Roboblog World Headquarters resident Evan Cass, who e-mailed me the news this morning.)

Anime News Network reported last week that Kadokawa plans on launching an all-Macross, all-the-time magazine in January. These are the same folks who've been cranking out an all-Gundam, all-the-time manga anthology, Gundam Ace, since 2001. The article was unclear whether or not this would be a manga anthology as well, though heaven knows it'll probably have at least one monthly manga serial.

Meanwhile Bandai has decided to hitch their wagon to umpteen nifty Macross Frontier toys. (Though I gotta say, not a fan of the green one. Really don't care for the head. Also, FAST packs as a store-exclusive? Poor Frontier collectors. I weep for them.)

And finally ... the green Tomahawk, it is so pretty. Once again, shame I don't have any f***ing money!!! ARGH!!!

Producer Chuck Roven: "I'm hopeful that Robotech will start shooting sometime next year."

ROBOTECH live action movie producer Chuck Roven talks to IESB.net about the film in this video snippet from the Spike TV's Scream 2008 Awards.

Here's all I really took away from this, personally ...

Since Roven said they want to start shooting next year, if Tobey Maguire's shooting two Spider-Man movies for Sony in the very near future (one of which will certainly come out in the same summer as ROBOTECH), I'm thinking he may have to pass on playing Rick Hunter, or any other possible lead role.

Thoughts, gang?

(Thanks to pal/roommate Evan Cass for the link.)

(Also, I would've used a less totally generic pic, but I couldn't find one I liked, and the video wasn't cooperating when I wanted to take a screen grab.)

Late morning update: Hm, then again, Sam Raimi apparently told MTV last week about the next Spidey flick, "I don't have a script yet, but production would start probably by March of 2010, I'm guessing." (Emphasis mine, see here, link via The Comic Reel @ Comic Book Resources.) If ROBOTECH remains on track to start shooting in '09, as Roven suggests, I guess Maguire could yet hop into that big-screen Veritech Fighter cockpit before putting the red & blue webbed tights again. The earliest reports on the next Spider-Man movies suggested they might start filming in Fall '09.

The Roboblog Chronicles Episode 25 - San Diego Dreaming

The second episode from North Central Wisconsin, in which I talk about some of the ROBOTECH stuff out of San Diego (kind of redundant if you've been paying attention to the blog over the weekend) and basically say my last word on the whole Warner live action thing until some SERIOUS news breaks, in light of recent films I've seen.




From The Things I Doubly Don't Want To Do Dept.

I'm selling some of my stuff on eBay, and if you're interested in Japanese-style robots and anime and manga and such (I'm curious what you're doing here if you aren't interested in at least ONE of those things), take a look and see if there's anything you'd be interested in bidding on, if you don't mind. If you see something you like, do bid on it and help reduce my clutter and keep me fed and caffeinated, OK?

Also:

You know, I actually am on iChat/AIM from time to time these days. See that little link to my screen name in the sidebar? Go ahead. Use it. Bother me. If I'm on iChat, it usually means I'm not doing anything all that important anyway ...

The Roboblog Chronicles Episode 23 - Context

Yeah, I finally found ten minutes out of my day to do a new ROBOBLOG CHRONICLES video. I hope you're all happy.

This one is me finding a quote that I've been paraphrasing for the better part of two years in regards to new ROBOTECH animation, and then talking about the whole "Holy crap, Lawrence Kasdan is writing the live action movie script!" thing.

Enjoy!

Raiders of the Lost Macross?

Friend of the Roboblog Brian Diegnan sent me a link to an article on Slashfilm (read it yourself, though it's not going to give you much more than I'm telling you here) claiming that Lawrence Kasdan -- screenwriter of those '80s Lucasfilm classics Raiders of the Lost Ark & The Empire Strikes Back -- is writing the screenplay for the ROBOTECH movie for Warner Bros. & Maguire Entertainment.

So, that could be cool, right? At least, if this is true, we're one step closer to knowing what in the hell this thing is going to look like ...

The Roboblog Chronicles: Episode 17 - Casting Call

So there's this not-very-good ROBOTECH movie "dream cast" list up at IGN -- you can see it here. I decided I could improve on it. Honestly, I think any ROBOTECH fan could improve on it, but I"m the one with the blog and the camera, so here's what I think. I had a hard time with Gloval. I think you might be able to do better. But the rest of them? I stand behind 'em 100%. I think they'd make for an excellent ROBOTECH movie cast. Take a look.

The Roboblog Chronicles: Episode 16 - Break Out The Popcorn

Yes, the Roboblog Chronicles saga continues this week with discussion of the live action movie in the works at Warner Bros. In this episode I get really hot and bothered about the prospect of them screwing up the Rick and Minmei relationship, which may seem kind of odd until you really think about how that relationship works -- or rather, how it fails to work. It's actually a pretty interesting thing, fragile and precious, like a snowflake.

No, I'm not on any medication right now. Why do you ask?



In other news:

• Vincent McHenry, my fellow contributing writer to The Art of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, would like me to mention the Robotech Photo Contest running at Robotech.com. I guess it's his brainchild, and it looks like it could be a lot of fun, so pull out your toys and home-made props and costumes and stuff and go have yourself some fun. I'd enter, except that I think it'd look hinky if I won anything, and besides, I think I've got enough on my plate right now ...
  
  
• Roger Harkavy lets us know that the Aoshima reengineerings and repaintings of the Toynami Masterpiece Alphas under the Mospeada banner in Japan have been pushed back to October. Which is fine, because that probably means they'll be all the better, right?
  
  
• The Space Station Liberty talkcast has lined up its next two rounds of guests. On September 14, Chris will be talking to Tommy Yune and Kevin Siembieda, presumably about the recently completed reacquisition of the ROBOTECH RPG license by Palladium Books.
  
  Then, September 16, Chris will have on Aftermath writer/artist Bruce Lewis, which means I'd better get my damn act together and get my Bruce Lewis interview posted this week. I guess the saying is true: he who hesitates, loses.
  
  Of course, in the end, you all win, because you get to hear two Bruce Lewis interviews within mere days of one another. How about that, ladies and gentlemen?
  
  You can see the times for Chris's interviews, listen in, and join in on the fun and frivolity via the Space Station Liberty talkcast homepage here.

BREAKING NEWS: OMGWTF!!!

Thank you, Admiral DMC McKeever, for bringing this to my attention in the comments thread for the Roboblog Chronicles show below.

Tobey Maguire is producing a freakin' ROBOTECH movie at Warner Bros.

I love this quote from Maguire, because this bodes well:

"We are very excited to bring 'Robotech' to the big screen," Maguire said. "There is a rich mythology that will be a great foundation for a sophisticated, smart and entertaining film."

Can you see him as Rick Hunter? I can. I totally can.

(Wonder who's going to play Spider-Man now if Maguire's working on this.)

Anyhoo -- DISCUSS!