Maguire Swings Toward Robotech Role

Fri., Sep. 7, 2007 6:15 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Tobey Maguire apparently doesn't like to stop at just one.

The Spider-Man star is eyeing a leading role in a big-screen adaptation of the sci-fi series Robotech, which Warner Bros., the new owner of the rights to the 1980s anime classic, is looking to turn into a franchise.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Maguire Entertainment will produce what could be the first in a proposed series of Robotech films, meaning Spidey could be remaking himself as civilian pilot turned military leader Rick Hunter or, perhaps, as intergalactic-war hero Roy Fokker.

Robotech, which originated as a combination of three separate Japanese anime series woven together, resembles Battlestar Galactica in that it focuses on a group of pilots who are protecting a world under constant threat of an alien attack.

This time, however, the human-piloted robots are on our side and tend to be very useful in the ongoing fight against the giant Zentraedi, Robotech Master clones who, like the Cylons, were originally created to do good but have come back to claim the technology they feel is rightfully theirs.

"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."

The Brigands of Rattleborge scribe Craig Zahler has been tapped to pen the screenplay, and he has plenty of material to draw from. The sprawling series has spawned comic books, novels, video games, soundtracks, a collectible card game and a few feature films, including 2006's Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, which saw a limited theatrical release. A two-DVD collector's edition is due out in November.

While Maguire's involvement in the next generation of Robotech casts doubt on whether he'd be willing to suit up for a fourth Spider-Man movie, the new film's pedigree could at least give Transformers—as well as various other upcoming giant-robot flicks—a run for its money.

Transformers' $311 million domestic haul for DreamWorks-Paramount and Regency's recent acquisition of the rights to '80s TV favorite Voltron: Defender of the Universe (another Japanese import) just may have something to do with Warner Bros.' decision to snag its own giant-robot franchise.