Hollywood always claims that its latest adaptation will be faithful to the original, and it’s almost always an outright lie. Now Astro Boy gets the Hollywood-blockbuster treatment — and Hollywood’s hoping it doesn’t end up like Speed Racer:
For starters, it’s not live-action; it’s CG produced by Imagi Studios, Hong Kong’s version of Pixar. The company’s founder, Francis Kao, not only secured the movie rights but also hired the son of Astro Boy creator (and god of manga) Osamu Tezuka as a creative consultant.“I was encouraged to expand on the universe,” says the flick’s director, David Bowers. “But at its core the movie is still faithful to the original.” Case in point: Our favorite rocket tyke sports a windbreaker and slacks (good-bye red undies and go-go boots), but his original powers (x-ray vision and turbo butt) remain unchanged.