The Robotech movie just got a new infusion of protoculture. Andy Muschietti, director of the upcoming film version of It, has been set to take over Sony’s adapation of the cult anime franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Muschietti will not only be directing but also has been tapped to develop the feature.
Barbara Muschietti joins Muschietti, alongside Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton in producing the movie.
Sony picked up the rights to Robotech back in 2015 and had originally attached James Wan to direct the franchise (he’s busy with Aquaman right now, though). Currently, the Robotech film has no writer, but Sony believes the Muschiettis will find someone. According to THR, “the project is a high priority for the studio and it is moving quickly.”
Muschietti began his career in horror films, making his English language debut with Mama. It will be released in September courtesy of New Line.
While some may wonder why a horror director was tapped for such a heavy action franchise like Robotech, remember that Wan had also come from horror films. He’s currently working on Warner Brothers’ Aquaman. Scott Derrickson, who directed Doctor Strange, also began in horror films as well.
Robotech follows three generations of heroes in multiple wars to protect Earth from alien invaders. The series was made up of three different Japanese anime programs and was heavily rewritten and edited to merge them all together. Robotech has had two theatircal releases in the past. Robotech: The Movie in the mid-80s played in select theatres and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles in the mid-2000s made its own tour around the film festival circuit.