‘Voltron’: Daniel Quinn-Toye to Lead Live-Action Movie!!

After years of delays, it looks like Voltronis finally ready to defend the universe on the big screen. The first-ever live-action version of the durable giant-robot franchise has cast its male lead and will be filming in Australia later this year. The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Daniel Quinn-Toye will play the lead in the Amazon MGM Studios film.

A relative newcomer to the screen, Quinn-Toye recently served as Spider-Man star Tom Holland‘s understudy in a production of Romeo and Juliet this past summer; he also guest-starred on the BBC series Badults, and appeared as an extra on an episode of Outlander. There’s no word on what role he’ll be playing, although his relative youth may mean he’s playing some version of Pidge, the youngest and most intellectual of Voltron’s five pilots; however, he is also described as the film’s lead, which could indicate that he’s playing Voltron team leader Keith. Additional casting for the film is in progress, including for the film’s female lead. The project has been in the works since 2005, but has been plagued by delays, lawsuits, and the bankruptcy of Relativity Media, the company that was to have produced it.

What Is ‘Voltron’ About?

An Americanization of the Japanese anime series Beast King GoLion, Voltron: Defender of the Universe first aired in 1984. It follows five pilots (Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Princess Allura), each of whom controls a giant mechanical lion; the lions can combine to form the giant robot warrior Voltron. Together, they defend the planet Arus from the tyrannical King Zarkon, his diabolical son Prince Lotor, and the sinister witch Haggar, who conjures monstrous creatures called Robeasts. The series, which was one of the first mecha anime to be imported to the English-speaking world, was a huge success in America. It spawned several sequel and reboot series, including the early CG cartoon Voltron: The 3rd Dimension, as well as a vast array of merchandise. Its most recent animated series, Voltron: Legendary Defender, was produced for Netflix by Dreamworks Animation, and ran for 78 episodes between 2016 and 2018.

Voltron will be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Red Notice), who will also write the script with Ellen Shanman (The In-Betweens of Holly Malone). It will be produced by Todd Lieberman via Hidden Pictures, World Events Productions’ Bob Koplar, Thurber, and Hobie Films’ David Hoberman.