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BREAKING: Astro Boy Reboot to now be made by Thomas Astruc with Method Animation (Mediawan), Shibuya Productions, Tezuka Productions
Sources: Variety, Crunchyroll, Shibuya Productions (Twitter), Mediawan (Twitter), Tezuka Productions (English Twitter)
In a surprise announcement on June 16, 2022, entertainment website Variety announced that Astro Boy Reboot will now be produced by Thomas Astruc, the creator and producer of Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, and Method Animation, the kids & family animation division of French company Mediawan. Shibuya Productions and Tezuka Productions are both still involved with the project.
Caribara and Cake Entertainment are no longer involved with Astro Boy Reboot.
Astro Boy Reboot will have 52 episodes that are each 26 minutes long, according to Crunchyroll. It will now be fully CGI-3D.
From Variety:
“Tezuka’s original comics were far advanced in delivering a powerful message to readers worldwide. These fantastic stories of the little boy who flies are all about strong values that still resonate today for a global audience,” said Mediawan and Shibuya, which jointly acquired the rights to the franchise from Tezuka Productions.
“It is a huge responsibility to revisit the mythical character of Astroboy, I am particularly happy to have met at Method Animation an ambitious and passionate team that will allow us to take this series to the highest heights,” said Biscay, who created Shibuya Productions with Kostadin Yanev.
Aton Soumache, founder and president of Method Animation, said “Thomas Astruc will bring a fresh and unique take on Tezuka’s work.”
“‘Astroboy’ is so universal and contemporary that we are not only developing a reboot but a consistent continuum in the full respect of the original universe,” added Soumache. Method Animation’s stellar track record with reboots include “Robin Hood” and “The Little Prince,” as well as “The Magic Roundabout” which was announced on Wednesday at the Annecy festival. “The Little Prince” was also turned into a feature film which world premiered at Cannes and won Cesar and BAFTA awards. ”It took us several months to secure the rights and there were of course many Japanese and American companies which were circling this property, but ultimately (Tezuka’s right holders) entrusted us with it because we have a similar sensibility and culture of graphic novels in both our countries, and what we have achieved with ‘Miraculous’ in Japan and around the world also played a big role in convincing them,” said Soumache. “It’s a collaboration based on respect and trust.” Soumache pointed out Japanese companies [have] often been put off by U.S. adaptations that “washed out” the DNA of manga brands.
Astruc, who has become a superstar with the creation of “Miraculous,” a world-famous original IP, said he had “no words to describe how much Osamu Tezuka has influenced (his) life and (his) work.”
“‘Astroboy’ is a cult series that has overseen the future like no other property. In the strange world we live in today, everybody needs Astroboy to come back!” added Astruc, alluding to the themes of the series, including the relationship between men vs. nature, as well [as] values such as pacifism and respect.
From Crunchyroll:
According to the report, the new Astro Boy is aiming for 52 half-hour episodes, including stories tackling timely subject matter such as environmental issues, the impact of the Internet and social media. Method Animation founder Aton Soumache says Astruc will “bring a fresh and unique take on Tezuka’s work,” which was known for delivering powerful messages of its own.
Much like Miraculous before it, Astro Boy is hoping to pull together an international team of animators, including those from France and Japan.