david bowers Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Following in the footsteps of Speed Racer – albeit in animated rather than live-action form – another iconic figure in the history of Japanese animation, Astro Boy, is being updated and reimagined for the silver screen. David Bowers, who previously helmed the Dreamworks animated film Flushed Away, introduced clips and offered a glimpse of the film to a small group of journalists several weeks ago at Imagi's Los Angeles-based production offices.

Astro Boy is based on Osamu Tekuza's 1952 manga, which was developed into a television series in 1963 and subsequently enjoyed multiple incarnations and reinventions in print and on film. The 2009 feature film promises to stay largely faithful to the sleek and simple design of the character, but with a few updates to his look and his mythology. As the second film from burgeoning animation studio Imagi after 2007's TMNT, Bowers said that he wanted to make sure that the story was both fun and substantive.

Just when you thought Astro Boy was never going to make it to the big screen, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have received the official press release from Imagi Studios and Summit Entertainment (who are partnering for the flick) with the full cast for the anime update. Imagi finally found their lead in Freddie Highmore back in February and they have announced that joining Highmore in the cast are Nicolas Cage, Bill Nighy, Nathan Lane, and Eugene Levy. There is no word yet on which characters from the original series will be making an appearance, but I could definitely see Lane doing a respectable job as Hamegg.

Astro Boy is the story of a boy robot looking for love and acceptance after being abandoned by his creator. After a Pinocchio-like journey of servitude in a circus, Astro was whisked off to safety by the understanding Professor Ochanomizu. Of course, Astro also spent his time battling mad scientists and out of control robots in between bouts of abandonment issues.

Judging by how long other people stayed on board for the big-screen version of Astro Boy, I'm amazed they finally found the time to cast their lead. In a press release sent to Comics2Film, Imagi Entertainment announced that Freddie Highmore (of Spiderwick Chronicles fame) will voice Astro Boy in the feature film. Originally created by Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy was the story of a boy robot fighting crime and dealing with some personal 'issues' about reconciling his circuitry with his burgeoning humanity.

Director David Bowers was quoted as saying, "It's terrific that Freddie has agreed to play Astro. He's a remarkably skilled young actor, whose freshness and vitality make him perfect for the role. Astro Boy is a beloved superhero and has captured hearts around the globe for more than 50 years. I can't wait to see where Freddie takes him." Not to rain on their parade, but some of the same things were said about Colin Brady and Michael Lachance -- look where they ended up.

It's going to be a busy year for the young actor; he's also currently working on the family flick, Eddie Dickens and the Awful End for Francis Lawrence. Highmore has been earning some good reviews for his performance in Chronicles, so I doubt that they will be replacing him anytime soon. Not bad for an actor that by the tender age of 16 has already worked with some of the biggest names in the business. Astro Boy is scheduled for release in 2009.

I guess it's never fun to be fired, but I bet it's worse when there is a full-page press release about it. Variety reports that Colin Brady has been replaced by David Bowers to direct the feature film version of the classic manga, Astro Boy. The announcement was made by Imagi Entertainment's Co-CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Francis Kao, and there was no official reason given for the switch. It doesn't look like Imagi has really 'traded up' all that much with their choice of director. Brady was a newbie director with only one film under his belt, and Bowers' last film was Flushed Away.

Created in 1951 by "God of Manga," Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy tells the story of a young robot boy who fights crime and technology gone wild, as well as the usual manga struggles of humanity versus technology, and of course, what it means to be human. Michael Lachance's script will focus on "a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him."

It's too bad that Brady won't get the chance to direct the boy in the red boots, since he seemed pretty keen on the whole thing back in November. But I wouldn't feel too bad for Brady; the visual effects master has already scored the job of directing another classic kid's tale, The Smurfs. Astro Boy is scheduled for release in 2009.