Live Action Anime

Imagi Animation’s creative director Felix Ip has posted new concept art from Gatchaman at his blog.

“Gatchaman,” scheduled for release in early 2009, is directed by Kevin Munroe, most famous for directing 2007’s TMNT, and is written by Paul Dini, a five-time Emmy Award winner for his work on Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond.

“Gatchaman” originated in Japan in the early 1970s as the television series “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.” Aired in the U.S. as “Battle of the Planets” and “G-Force,” it soon became a widely popular syndicated TV series.

Featuring some of the most ambitious action sequences ever seen in animation, “Gatchaman” is set in a future world grappling with environmental and technological issues. The story focuses on five reluctant heroes whose remarkable genetic code makes them Earth’s only hope of defeating extra-terrestrial invaders.

Imagi Animation Studios is also producing Astro Boy, based on the highly successful Japanese franchise of the same name by Osamu Tezuka, scheduled for release on October 23, 2009.