Going by the way his career has shaped out, Henry Cavill doesn’t so much have a bucket list of franchises he wants to be a part of as a Pokémon-like desire to catch them all. In a career that’s already seen him play Superman, Sherlock Holmes, and even Wolverine, the Argylle actor is all set to reboot a popular Netflix property that’s definitely not The Witcher. And don’t tell Netlifx, in fact, because he’s rebooting it at Amazon instead.
We already knew Cavill was attached to Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Voltron live-action movie, and now the cast is filling out around him. Previously, the only two names on the call sheet were Cavill’s own and that of relative newcomer Daniel Quinn-Toye. As per THR, the pair have been joined by another notable upcoming talent and two famous faces. And they happen to be two other stars who collect franchises like Thanos does Infinity Stones.
Henry Cavill assembles a Marvel and a Disney star for his reboot of a classic 80s franchise (no, not Highlander)
Calling back to that Pokémon reference I made earlier, Cavill is yet to feature in that universe (although give him time) but someone who has is now boarding the Voltron film alongside him. Rita Ora, she of Fast & Furious, Detective Pikachu, and, most recently, Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red — in which she played the Queen of Hearts — has signed up for the production. In addition, so has This is Us icon Sterling K. Brown, also known as Killmonger’s dad in Black Panther.
The third new recruit is John Kim, formerly credited as John Harlan Kim, just seen in Amazon’s Cruel Intentions TV reboot. No specific details on the quintet’s roles have been revealed as yet, but the sky is the limit as Voltron has tended to refresh its cast of characters with each new iteration, even if the basic premise stays the same. Namely, it follows five pilots of mechs shaped like lions — dubbed paladins — that come together to form a giant robot that protects the galaxy.
Beginning with 1984’s anime, the saga’s most recent form was Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender. Tragically, with Amazon swiping up the franchise rights, that original animated series has now been removed from the platform. So Cavill and company might have some work to do in winning around Voltron fans who might be holding the eradication of the Netflix show against this new film.
Voltron isn’t the only 80s reimagining Cavill is working on, of course, as his long-gestating Highlander remake was also just officially confirmed. Honestly, it’s probably for the best that this year’s ambitious Argylle crashed and burned as it’s hard to imagine how Cavill could’ve fit in several more sequels as the fictitious super-spy alongside Voltron, Warhammer, playing an immortal Scotsman, and a Victorian detective. Give him another week, though, and he’ll probably announce that he’s replacing Mike Myers in DreamWorks’ new live-action reboot of Shrek.
As directed by Red Notice helmer Rawson Marshall Thurber, the Voltron movie has yet to receive a release date.
Published: Nov 25, 2024 02:41 pm