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Getter Robo Robot Franchise Plans Live-Action Film in Spring 2025
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Film studio Big One announced on Tuesday that it is producing a live-action film adaptation of Ken Ishikawa and Gō Nagai's iconic Getter Robo super robot manga, with a planned release for the franchise's 50th anniversary in spring 2025. Big One launched a Campfire crowdfunding campaign for a pilot version of the film on the same day, with a 5 million yen (about US$37,600) goal, The campaign will end on April 19. The campaign showed initial designs for the mecha in the film.
Junya Okabe (Akiba-chan, Cat Shit One: The Animated Series) is the film's director, writer, and producer. Okabe is penning the film alongside other writers, including Yoshiaki Tabata (Young Black Jack, Ninja Slayer).
The crowdfunding campaign notes that the pilot film will be used to test filming and production techniques, but warns backers that the project will not have an abundant budget "like Hollywood films," but will be more in line with the length and scope of Japanese films.
The latest work in the Getter Robo franchise is Getter Robo Arc, the television anime adaptation of the last manga in the series. The anime premiered in July 2021. Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime, and HIDIVE streamed the series as it aired in Japan. Ishikawa ran the manga in Futabasha's Super Robot Magazine beginning in 2002, and it remains unfinished after Ishikawa's death in 2006. Futabasha published three compiled book volumes for the manga.
Ken Ishikawa and Gō Nagai created the Getter Robo manga, often considered one of the most iconic super robot manga series alongside Nagai's own Mazinger Z. Ishikawa wrote three sequels (of which Getter Robo Arc was the last), and the franchise spawned numerous spinoff manga and anime adaptations.
Sources: Getter Robo live-action film project's website and Crowdfire crowdfunding page, Comic Natalie
