What’s an Oscar-nominated writer-director of one of the most beloved animated franchises of the last two decades to do after successfully wrapping up his trilogy? Well, in the case of filmmaker Dean DeBlois, it appears that his first post-“How to Train Your Dragon” film is the long-gestating potential blockbuster “Micronauts.”
According to THR, DeBlois is the man that will finally bring the cult-favorite comic book/toy characters to life in a new “Micronauts” film. The filmmaker will write and direct the film, which is based on the popular Japanese franchise that came over to the US in the ‘80s.
“Micronauts” is set in the Microverse (natch) and follows a group of heroes that come together to fight against the evil Baron Karza. The toy line from the ‘80s became so popular that Marvel Comics brought the characters into their own comic books shortly after. For years, the promise of a “Micronauts” film has come and gone with occasional filmmakers being attached. However, with the recent success of “Bumblebee” and the ‘Transformers’ franchise in need of a bit of retooling, it appears that Paramount is interested in getting another Hasbro toy property off the ground.
Speaking of “Bumblebee,” “Micronauts” follows in that film’s footsteps by bringing in a filmmaker that is best known for his animation background for the film. In the former’s case, director Travis Knight came off his popular, acclaimed animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” to direct what some (including this writer) believe to be the best iteration of “Transformers” seen on the big screen. Now, someone with the pedigree of DeBlois should be able to do something similar, hopefully, with “Micronauts.”
Previously, “Micronauts” had JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot attached to produce with “Deadpool” writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick attached to write. At that time, it was expected that the film would venture off from the comics into something different. It’s unclear if DeBlois is starting from scratch or building off the work that has been done before.
Either way, it seems as if Paramount is sticking true to its June 4, 2021 release date for “Micronauts.” Let’s see if it actually happens this time.