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Gatchaman-posterart

Early poster art for the film

Gatchaman was a planned CGI animated film produced by Imagi Animation Studios and was to be distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures. The project first began in 2004 but spent years in development hell, going through several directors and screenwriters, with DC Comics alumni Paul Dini being one of them.

On February 5, 2010, Imagi Studios filed for bankruptcy and shut down their animation studio, resulting in the cancellation of the film project on June 21, 2011. Imagi had also planned a "Gatchaman" 12 inch action figure line by Hot Toys to tie in with the film, this too was cancelled; previous licensing attempts with Wowwee Ltd. and and WahShing Toys Co. also did not pan out.

In the wake of the cancellation, Tatsunoko Production sued Imagi to reclaim all rights to Gatchaman productions due to the failure to hold up their agreement, with the lawsuit being settled with a mutual agreement that the Gatchaman title and characters would solely belong to Tatsunoko, along with the creation of any productions, allowing the Nikkatsu film to be made in 2013[1]. In addition, Imagi had filed for a tax write-off of Gatchaman the day they announced the cancellation of the movie. This makes it further difficult for any revival of the movie, or public release of its complete story.

An unofficial "Gatchaman: The Concept Art" book was created by Imagi employees, compiling all the development work that they did on the movie. A copy was auctioned off on eBay in September of 2011, but it is unknown if any other copies existed or circulated[2].

Tagline[]

Under the supervision of Dr. Nambu and the International Science Organization, five adolescent superheroes race to unlock their remarkable hidden powers. They are the earth’s last hope against an invasion of bloodthirsty aliens known as Galactor under control of super villain, Katse.

History[]

Although Imagi had its eyes on adapting the series since 2004, it took time for them to reach a licensing agreement with Tatsunoko to move forward, with the two studios signing their agreement on June 8, 2006. At the time, the movie was slated to release in 2008, though the release year would be continuously pushed back due to the difficulties described below.

Kevin Munroe was announced to direct the film in a public press release, but ultimately parted from the project in April 2008 to go direct Dylan Dog. Munroe cited "creative differences" as reason for his departure, with higher-ups wanting the movie to be more like a younger, "Power Rangers"-like affair and not the mature action/adventure plot he had in mind; Munroe and his co-director Tom Tanaka had hoped WB would agree on a hard PG-13 rating, possibly even an R if that far, but were told to tone down the script to be PG. Layout artist Chris Sherrod, screenwriter Paul Dini, producer Lynne Southerland and character designer Charlie Wen would corroborate this, with them and other staff having either already left or been fired in early 2008, due to not wanting to go in the specific new direction that the new WB producer wanted to take it in.

Wen: " The original vision for the film was fun and a bit edgy---appealed to me.  The project's been through lots of changes, rewrites (like any film), ended up with a different director recently.  The vision's changed since I first joined, and seems to be going towards a younger Power Rangers audience---I wanted to see a Gatchaman that I would love to see, and didn't want to see it go this direction, so I departed from Imagi and took an Art Directing/Character Designing gig on Thundercats."[3]

Kevin Munroe had also been writing out outlines and a script for the movie to start, though Robert Mark Kamen was the first publicly known screenwriter to sign on in collaboration. Unfortunately, Kamen appeared to have departed a few months into the project and was replaced by Paul Dini, and it is unknown if Kamen's own draft had ever been written. Dini would contribute his take on the script before leaving the project around the time of the first staff overhaul, due to the edicts by WB higher-ups to go "softer and more fun".

According to various staff that worked on the film, there were at the very least "4 or 5" different incarnations of the plot and possibly even more beyond that, each helmed by a different director and screenwriter team. Each iteration would be scrapped in favor of a new one; in some cases there would be basic sequences kept, but requiring constant retakes of dialogue and animation assets to keep up with the changing story elements and new screenplays written.

After Munroe's departure, Imagi company reports show that Steve Lumley would be the new director while Tom Tanaka would stay on co-directing, albeit under the name "Tommy Tanaka"; this appeared to not last long, as Jun Falkenstein would announce her involvement as director on April 22, 2008. Falkenstein herself would not stay on long, departing on June 21, 2009 to go back to working at Disney. The director position would change some more, with Kevin Johnson joining in. He would eventually leave as well, with Ben Gluck being the final person in charge by the time the movie was cancelled.

Even as the movie kept changing, selections from the Munroe/Dini-scripted workprint footage would be used to promote it as late as the 2009 Anime Expo sizzle trailer as well as in a Los Angeles test screening in that same year. This seemed more for the fact that these scenes had actually been completed, as footage from an early 2007 teaser with much rougher designs for the team was also interspersed in the AX trailer. Surviving 2009 animatic samples from staff like Jane Wu confirm the ongoing rewrites in dialogue, as well as the updating of the team's designs down to the storyboard stage.

A later, final teaser would be created in 2010, showcasing the team in a fight against a Galactor mecha. It was sadly, the last piece of public footage to be witnessed of the in-progress movie, as production would shut down shortly after.

On June 21, 2011, the film was confirmed to have been cancelled in Imagi's annual report. Imagi had also filed for a tax write-off of Gatchaman the day they announced the cancellation of the movie. This was due to the perceived commercial viability becoming uncertain. Financial restructuring and impairment provisions indicate that the project was considered financially unviable and had adverse effects on Imagi's financial results.

Additionally, after the cancellation of the movie, a lawsuit was filed against Imagi by Tatsunoko Production in the Los Angeles County, California, Superior Court on August 9, 2011. The settlement not only marks the end of the business relationship between Imagi and Tatsunoko regarding Gatchaman, but also grants Tatsunoko full rights to the brand, film creation, and the license of the original copyright. This creates significant challenges for any potential revival of the project. Eventually, the Nikkatsu film which came out in 2013 was highly panned among critics as well as fans due to its inconsistency and lack of reverence for the original, and made it into the Top 10 rankings of Worst Films of 2013 (#10 on Movie Art's list, and #6 on Movie Treasures).

Reconstructed Plot[]

This is what was known of the Munroe/Dini iteration, from different test footage, storyboards and a Los Angeles story reel screening. Plot elements, visuals, and dialogue may have changed through the next screenwriter and director teams, even as some basic scenes were retained through later story reels.

There may be some narrative holes due to the entire plot not having been stated, as well as any full script not having been publicly released.

A meteorite strikes the Earth, carrying the alien race of Galactor with it. The narrator describes the legend of Gatchaman, as a sequence in the Edo era depicts a team of deadly, black armored Blackbirds led by their overlord known as Berg Katse. They are defeated by the "Gatchaman" themselves; a team of five bird-themed heroes, who ride on horses. We are told that a few Galactor aliens have remained on Earth since then, having taken it over from the inside out, influencing politics, economics, and business ventures.

Centuries later, a young boy named Joseph (nicknamed "Joe") is celebrating his 12th birthday with his parents, but the restaurant is invaded by Galactor henchmen who proceed to shoot both parents to death. Joe manages to hide away in an air vent, barely escaping the sight of Katse.

The plot moves a decade forth as we get to the present day; an adult Joe witnesses a news report about Galactor bombing a school, and takes off to go investigate their activity at Utocom Tower and fight them himself. While Joe manages to beat up some henchmen, he is quickly outnumbered. The Gatchaman team, consisting of four young people, intervene and engage in battling the henchmen, but are disappointed when they see Joe has escaped (although Jinpei has managed to track his car). The two remaining henchmen are forced to give a report on their failure to Katse, who kills one of them in retaliation.

The next day in Utoland, Joe witnesses an arms deal going on between criminals, including one named Lou. He pretended to make a deal with them, but he intended to go freelance on them, and he is pursued by them through Mega City in a high-speed chase. The police wind up involved in the shoot-out as well, and managed to apprehend the criminals after Joe shot Lou's car tires. Joe escapes to a club at the bottom of Dakota Hotel, the place he resides in, where he pays off a woman named Suki to not mention his presence. He meets the go-go dancing Jun, who catches on to his scheme. Another young man named Ken introduces himself to Joe, who takes him as being interested in Jun (to Ken's denial). The two confront Joe with the intent to talk to him further, but he escapes into an elevator. Joe then meets Ryu, who offers him pizza and explains their intent to recruit him into the Gatchaman team. Once the elevator reaches his floor, Joe punches Ryu and escapes, but finds Jinpei having situated himself inside his apartment and playing video games.

Ken and Jun enter the unit, but Joe draws a gun to threaten them away. Ken and Jun fight Joe, who fires his gun at them. He is then attacked by Jinpei and Ryu as the battle continues through the tower and to a building undergoing construction, only for Joe to wind up falling off a ledge. Jun comes to his rescue by using her yo-yo to grab him, but the two dangle in the air as he flirts with her further. After being comically propelled back up, Joe uses the chance to escape but winds up encountering Ken on the rooftop and falls again, being caught by Jun, who gets caught by Ken in turn, with Jinpei and Ryu trying to bring the rest back up. The ledge collapses, sending the five falling through a glass roof into another building below. Joe attempts to escape and drive off in his car, but is arrested by ISO "Gamma Force" agents as Dr. Nambu has managed to pinpoint his location.

The team are brought into the ISO, with Joe as a hand-cuffed captive. He is introduced to Dr. Nambu, who lets him know that he has been tracking him for some time. Joe is unconvinced by the story he hears of the legendary Gatchaman team, though he shows interest when a hologram of Jun is displayed and he learns of her own tragedy with Galactor and that there are others orphaned or suffering due to them. The other four decide to celebrate their attempt at getting Joe to join, noting that an ordinary human couldn't have survived the same fall that they did, and that he must indeed be a Gatchaman. There is further friction between Joe and Ken as he refuses to join the battle, while Ken insists it's his destiny. Jun admires what appears to be a meteor shower, only to realize that another Galactor attack is unfolding. The city winds up greatly damaged.

Joe's impulsive actions in having engaged Galactor as a civilian wind up resulting in the ISO being invaded by their troops, with the team barely managing to fight them off in civilian mode but putting up a great effort. The five escape the base in a special copter, in the midst of a violent Galactor Blackbird attack, but Dr. Nambu stays behind and the team believe him dead in the ensuing explosion. With barely much time to mourn their mentor's probable death, they set course to the Poseidon Base, and Joe is presented with his G-Bracelet. However, they crash-landed because the copter was out of fuel, and they landed on an elevator to the Poseidon Base. Down in the Poseidon Base, the team meets a hologram of Dr. Nambu, who presents them with the God Phoenix and their individual mecha.

Elsewhere, Nambu is revealed to be alive but having been taken captive by Katse and tortured for information. He insists the Gatchaman team died, although Katse doesn't believe him. He is thrown into a cell, where he recognizes another captive named "Laura".

The team receives an emergency transmission from Nambu. Joe, feeling responsibility for what happened to the doctor, sets off on his own to try to rescue him, impressing Jun. However, Ken finds that the God Phoenix refuses to start, and realizes this is due to Joe taking off. He realizes the G-Bracelet must have at least been left behind, and raids Joe's quarters in the Poseidon Base, happening upon a photo of a younger Joe with his parents. Ken realizes the great loss that Joe had suffered due to Galactor, but this convinces him that he'd come back to fight as part of the team. He uses the G-Bracelet to interface with the God Phoenix, allowing the ship to operate.

Joe makes his way back to the team, realizing that he can't rescue Nambu alone, and the five set off in the Phoenix to find him, based on the last coordinates. Nambu somehow manages to escape Galactor, although the Gatchaman team must do battle against a giant drill mecha that Katse has piloted to further attack Utoland. The God Phoenix engages its Firebird Mode, which engulfs Katse's mecha, resulting in it exploding.

Utoland is freed from Galactor, and Nambu watches the Phoenix fly through the skies. A piece of ending narration states that at last, the Phoenix has delivered on its promise: "A promise of strength. A promise of hope. Now there will always be the five. Now, there will always be GATCHAMAN."

Differences in the Adaptation[]

As the script and art direction went through several and seemingly countless revisions through production, what follows are a list of changes seen throughout various images and reels that were publicly available at one point or another in time.

Changes in worldview[]

  • The year, at least during the time of Kevin Munroe's involvement, was set to be a vague "21XX" to set the story far into the future.
  • During the time of Kevin Munroe's involvement, one strongly-held story element for a while was that "Gatchaman" was a multi-generational team and concept spanning through ages in Japan, going all the way back to the time of the samurai where Gatchaman teams would fight enemies while on horseback with swords. This would have appeared to have been an element from Paul Dini's script as well as Munroe's early outlines, but it was eventually done away with over time, probably due to WB's edicts. A sign of this "Samurai Gatchaman" element can be seen in artwork showing a 1500s-era village being fire-bombed, as well as an Edo-era Katse and Blackbird troop that was meant to be part of the original opening sequence.
  • Galactor was described as an alien organization in interviews, presumably due to Battle of the Planets and other adaptations popularizing that assumption.
  • Utoland was to be a full country, rather than a city in an unspecified one. It was to also look more futuristic, ala "Blade Runner" or Hong Kong, and would be set as an island nation meant to be a peaceful enclave and to demonstrate to other countries that peace could exist in the world. This would make it a prime target for Galactor to attack. The main city would be called "Mega City", as seen in Chris Sherrod's demo reel.
  • The Red Impulse team did not appear to exist in the classic form we know; rather, a similar counterpart existed in the form of more militaristic ISO soldiers known as the Red Ninja Squad[4], at the time of concept artist Dan Norton's involvement. One piece of early concept art shows the familiar Red Impulse jets flying in the sky with the Phoenix. However, one completed scene of the attack on the ISO shows some differently-designed red jets departing the hangar to fight with the invading Galactor ones, only for them to be easily blown to bits.
  • Crescent Coral Base was renamed "Poseidon Base" (with possible inspiration from the BotP equivalent of Center Neptune).
  • It is currently unknown how Leader X would have been portrayed, or if he figured into the plot at all.
  • In painted concept art showcased by Kevin Munroe for the early iteration, as well as in lineart by Dan Norton, a villainous but fearless general character also existed in some part of the film. He would be unafraid of Berg Katse, to where he felt comfortable enough to disrespect him openly to his face. This general and the Red Ninja Squad leader were both apparently important in the Munroe/Dini version, as one poster draft by Thomas A. Nelson depicts them along with the team, Katse, and Dr. Nambu[5]. It is possible that this general and other minor heroic and villainous characters were scrapped and thrown out with the next project iterations, as Kevin Munroe would later claim one of the difficulties in dealing with WB's edicts was that the movie had "too many characters" to focus on.
  • Some Imagi taglines would also describe the five heroes as being chosen for their "unique genetic code", which was reflected in the script when the team finds Joe was able to easily land with them when falling and didn't receive any injuries.

A December 2007 interview with Munroe and Tanaka, after Dini joined the project, would tease that the movie was an origin story and a prequel to the plot most would know about the team. They would outline a few of the above points along with their rationale[6].

Munroe: "It’s an origin story. We’re going through, we’re adding mythology.”

Tanaka: “Fans of the TV show will remember that they never talked about how the Gatchaman started, how the war between the Gatchaman and Galactor started...”

Munroe: “What was the first invasion like…”

Tanaka: “So this is, we’re actually the prequel to the TV show in a sense, and the idea that the mythology of the Gatchaman is not just restricted to technology, there is a mystical aspect as well.”

Munroe: “We aren’t reinventing it, we are trying to deliver a very satisfying future storyline but at the same time, look at it and go, wow that would fit really well into the cupboard that is now the TV show."

The end of the first act would culminate in Galactor's invasion destroying Utoland, but that the plot and action would only intensify from there.

Changes in character design[]

  • The team was first considered as wearing darker, armored uniforms slightly inspired by the NTT Gatchaman ads, however, this was not a fixed aspect. Another early piece of promotional art done by Charlie Wen shows them in uniforms inspired by a mix of the '94 OVA and some original elements. These persisted for a while, until the promotional posters and the final teaser trailer by Imagi showed that the then-current development team (including character designer Tohru Patrick Awa) opted to have them wearing uniforms similar to those of the original series, but with some added design elements like seams and raised 3D emblems, designed by Mark Renaud. Felix Ip would still express doubt that Awa's designs would make it into the film, though, as he would relate in late 2009 that there had been decisions made to redesign the characters again.
  • Another concept, more vague, is seen in other early character designs for the film by Dan Norton. These would be "Gatchaman Commando" suits[7][8][9], more spy-like and futuristic-looking body armor for the team to wear in combat, presumably when not transformed into their Bird Styles. While their faces would be mainly covered up, Norton would also demonstrate how the Commando helmets would open up in another illustration[10]. Norton would confirm in commentary on the designs that these "Commando" uniforms were dropped from later stages of the Munroe production.
  • The general character designs evolved from being much more stylized and cartoony, such as involving Ryu being a towering buff and fat giant of the group, to eventually being more subtle in their body type differences and heights. Jinpei's design also went through significant changes to try to convey him being a young child on the team.
  • Some early designs by Felix Ip and 2007 painted concept art went with the idea of the numbered T-shirts for the Gatchaman team, while later development material such as character design renders, storyboard reels, and animation tests showed more modern civilian fashions.
  • Dr. Nambu was to be of Afro-Japanese descent, to visually match with his voice actor being the Black British actor David Oyelowo. His character render initially had an afro hairstyle, but later renders seemed to depict him as bald while having graying facial hair. Some fans speculate that he looks like Samuel L. Jackson[11].
  • Berg Katse seemed to lose their hermaphroditic origin and appeared to be solely male, as well as being much more darker and sadistic, with a more beastly, vampiric design to denote him being an alien creature. A "civilian" disguise of Katse, shared by Kevin Munroe in concept art of the movie, depicts him as a pale man in a white suit jacket and black pants, keeping his face hidden with a dark cape[12]. Unmasked concepts for Katse, seen in samples of the concept art book, showed him to be a sharp-faced man who was either entirely bald or had dark hair in a buzz-cut or other short, closely-cropped styles.
  • Concept art by Charlie Wen shows that besides the generic green Galactor henchmen, the Blackbirds were considered to be villains fought in the movie (in both the prologue and ISO invasion). Like Katse, they also had demonic, edgier-looking character designs.
  • Ken would have shorter hair than Joe, initially in a wavier style, and would wear a white-and-black shirt as part of his outfit in the workprint footage from the Munroe/Dini iteration. His later render in animation tests and concept art instead gave him a royal blue shirt to wear, and even shorter hair than before. There is a misconception that his early toyline design was to be dark-skinned; this is due to the concept art showcased in the unofficial artbook being incomplete, with Ken's body and features blacked out in silhouette and his clothing not fully painted and shaded like the others.
  • Joe's character design initially sported a leather jacket and he had a swarthy complexion, until later renders had him with paler skin and wearing a black T-shirt without any jacket over it.
  • Jun would be shown to wear an outfit that notably had short shorts and long boots with stockings, although some layout tests show that at one point a sweater vest and blouse were considered as her top (rather than the jacket and camisole seen in the renders). The creative teams in particular couldn't decide whether to have her sport long hair like her TV series self (as in the workprint footage and early renders), or go with the bobbed hair style from the OVA (by the time of Jane Wu's involvement with the project and later renders). Her hair was to consistently be brown, rather than green.
  • Jinpei had dark blond hair, and had an outfit that would feature dark blue and red as the focal colors, before a later render had him with a red vest and yellow undershirt tying back to his Bird Style.
  • Ryu was depicted as a tall, strong man whose wardrobe consistently favored the color green, though his haircut changed between the workprint footage and later renders.

Changes in characters' story settings[]

  • The team members' ages were raised for the film, as development material of Jun intended for the toyline describes her as being 19 (as opposed to 16). Joe and Ken would presumably be in their early 20s, if Joe was meant to be 12 in the prologue. Ryu, meanwhile, was made to be the oldest of the team like in the OVA and a grown adult in his mid-late 20s. This may have changed over time, however, as a later synopsis described all five as adolescents and different elements from previous iterations were done away with. Jinpei's age is unknown, however.
  • Joe Asakura was now American, and his actual name was "Joseph Asakura" rather than "George Asakura". It is believed that the "Joji"/"George" similarity would be lost on Western viewers. His parents would have been killed after being shot to death by Galactor agents, after they bombed the pizza restaurant where the family was celebrating Joe's 12th birthday (rather than him being 8 when they died).
    • If James A. Mitchell's animatic reel was any indication, his parents' names were also changed. While his mother did not have her name mentioned, Joe's father went from being "Giuseppe Asakura" to the more American-sounding "Daniel Asakura" and was depicted as a light-haired man with a mustache.
    • Joseph was to also be a more "Wolverine"-like lone wolf character, a sarcastic daredevil, and a drinker and smoker in one iteration (although the beer would be replaced with an energy drink in another animatic). He would have a penchant of giving sarcastic nicknames to others, including calling Dr. Nambu "Dr. Superfly", calling Ken "Captain Cub Scout" or "Margaret", and even calling the police dispatcher "Daihei" during the car chase. This would bring him into some conflict with Ken being a more traditional and strict heroic leader type.
    • There were to be hints of a building romance between Joe and Jun throughout the plot, though with a love triangle element employed which involved Ken as the other man to catch Jun's interest and hold feelings for her (although Ken denies this when Joe assumes such in their early interaction). There would be friction between Ken and Joe due to their conflicting views, as well as potentially this angle. Test viewers who were made to watch the in-progress story reel by Imagi were notably asked what they felt of the love triangle and if they wanted it developed further, on a questionnaire card about the film's elements.
  • The scene where the team fight Joe at the construction site, going by storyboards and CGI test footage, seemed to vary between Jun rescuing him in her Bird Style (with the team having transformed earlier to fight him), or Jun being depicted in her civilian wear. The later storyboards in the sequence would seem to agree with Ken and Jun being detransformed through the rest of the fight.
  • Dr. Nambu was to be captured by Katse and presumed dead by the team, but this later drives their mission to find and rescue him, leading into the climax. He would have met another hostage of Katse; a mysterious woman named "Laura" who he apparently had a history with. It is unknown what Laura's further role in the film would have been, or her true significance as a character. It is also possible that Laura's role may have been cut through later iterations, as other minor characters like Suki were.
  • In Munroe's early outline for the movie dated April 2007, the prologue did not open on Joe as a child (as later seen in the story reel) but viewers were introduced to him as an adult foiling an Utoland bank robbery, which would get him noticed by Dr. Nambu.
  • By the time of 2009 revisions to the movie, Joe was stated to have had recurring dreams of Gatchaman, which would be referenced by Ken and Jun as proof that he was destined to be part of their team. This seems to also have been an element suggested by Munroe in the above outline, stating that if the Edo-era Gatchaman sequence wasn't used in the prologue that it'd be a "Blood Dream" that Joe would have later.

The 2007 interview with Munroe would hint at a major character death in the movie, with it possibly being the fake-out with Nambu described above or another character fatality outside the team:

“We’ve got a couple of key characters, and bad things happen to them, a key character dies at one point. And if you sat back and tried to ‘ok’ that with everybody, some people may say, maybe you should think about not letting that happen. But at the end of the day, that moment is one of the best moments in the film and it’s one of the most moving moments and one of the greatest moments that helps all the characters grow. And if you try to sit back and try and limit yourself storytelling-wise for a rating, it’s stupid. So I’d rather have it up there on screen to show that it works…”

Production Staff[]

Note: As this project went through many phases and overhauls in staff, what follows is an attempt to compile names where known, throughout the production itself. It is unknown what exact iterations some staff may have been shared in, and there may be staff more willing to talk than others, as seen in interviews, but NDAs and legal issues may apply.

  • Based on characters by: Tatsuo Yoshida
  • Known Directors: Kevin Munroe, Tom Tanaka[13] (co-directed with Munroe) (credited as Tommy Tanaka)[14], Stephen G. Lumley (co-directed with Tanaka after Munroe's departure) (credited as Steve Lumley)[15], Jun Falkenstein[16], Kevin Johnson[17], Benjamin Gluck (credited as Ben Gluck)[18]
  • Screenwriters: Robert Mark Kamen, Kevin Munroe[19], Paul Dini, Matthew Francis Wilson[20], Bragi F. Schut Jr.[21], Tom Rogers[22]
  • Producers: Thomas K. Gray (possibly credited as Tom Gray), Lynne Southerland, Mark Tarbox[23], Paul Wang, Kurt Albrecht, David Chan
  • Executive Producers: Francis Kao, Galen Walker
  • Editors: John Damien Ryan, Jessica Ambinder-Rojas, Lawrence Gan
  • Cinematography: Stephen G. Lumley
  • Art Direction: Felix Ip, Todd Uyeminami
  • Production Designer: Simon Murton[24]
  • Character Design: Tommy Tejeda, Dan Norton, Jose Lopez, Dave Wilkins, Charlie Wen, Kevin Chen, Tohru Patrick Awa (credited as Patrick Awa)
  • Character Modeling and Facial Development: Chi Kit Chan[25], Mona Chow[26], Cedric Yiu[27]
  • Modeling Supervisor: Pan Lee[28], Stephen Tong[29]
  • Rigging: Adom Yip[30], Aries Wu[31], Chi Shing Tse[32]
  • Logo Design: Mark Renaud[33]
  • Background and Prop Design: Augusto Barranco, Brian Yam[34], Jonathan Lo[35], Yung-Lo Chang[36], Steve Jung, Anthony Washington
  • Prop Modeler: Herman Kim[37]
  • Storyboards: Sean Song, Sahin Ersoz, James Fujii[38], Thomas A. Nelson, Hank Tucker[39], Jane Wu, Davis Vu[40], Mark Simmons[41], James A. Mitchell Jr. (credited as Jim Mitchell)[42], Lawrence J. Leker[43]
  • Layout: Adam Holmes, Chris Sherrod, Yin Hong Cheng[44], Charles Trebino[45]
  • Lighting: Ken Lo, Ting Chung[46], Jimmy Chan[47], Chung Hei Lung[48], Sai Pong Yeung[49]
  • Animation Technical Director: Chan Kwok San[50]
  • Animation: Joe Wong[51], Pok Chi Chan[52], Grass Cho[53], KK Ao[54], Cyke Joe[55], Chan Kin Hi[56], Gavin Ma[57], Hsu Kin Ting[58], Ki Yu[59], Shut Kai Kwong[60], Vincent Yu[61], Yanni Ko[62], Fung Wan Fung (possibly credited as Wayne Fung)[63]
  • VFX: Mo Chan[64], Tsz Ho So[65]
  • Video Editor: Brian Ng[66]
  • Casting and Voice Direction: Dawn Hershey[67], Linda Lamontagne[68], Matthew Jon Beck[69]
  • Production Managers: Dave Okey, Christina DaSilva, Jill Ragaway, Emerald Wong[70]
  • Post-Production Coordinator: Michael Crate
  • Production Supervisor: William Maurer, Carson Wong (trailer development)[71], Tweety Tam[72]
  • Music: Dana Sano (possibly as an editor)
  • Sound Mix: Dolby Laboratories
  • Distribution: Warner Bros. Pictures, The Weinstein Company

Voice Cast[]

Although Imagi attempted to keep the cast on the down-low until the film's release date and details would be finalized and announced for worldwide release, casting announcements and these actors' presence in the story reels and early test screenings showed involvement through the project.

  • Ken: Eric Christian Olsen (Beck reel), ?? (Hershey reel), Ben McKenzie (Lamontagne reel)
  • Joe: Ryan Michael Oman (Beck reel), ?? (Hershey reel), Alan Tudyk (Lamontagne reel)
  • Jun: Emmanuelle Chriqui
  • Jinpei: Colin Ford
  • Ryu: David Denman
  • Dr. Nambu: David Oyelowo
  • Berg Katse: ??

It is possible that some actors may have also been replaced in the final mix, had the film progressed that far, as some productions tend to use temporary voices for the story reel until finalized casting is made.


Trailers[]

Concept Art[]

Storyboard and Development Videos[]

References[]

  1. Sci-Fi Japan, 2013
  2. https://www.gatchamania.net/thread.php?postid=116989#post116989
  3. https://charliewen.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/gow2-and-after.html
  4. https://www.deviantart.com/dannortonart/art/Gatchaman-ISO-Trooper-concept-285475492 Dan Norton concept art for ISO Troopers/Red Ninjas.
  5. https://twitter.com/StoryboardingAI/status/1036738745083420672 Tom Nelson, Twitter
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20071219141302/http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3966&Itemid=99
  7. https://www.deviantart.com/dannortonart/art/Gatachaman-commando-concept-285472731
  8. https://www.deviantart.com/dannortonart/art/Commando-Concepts-1-113962600
  9. https://www.deviantart.com/dannortonart/art/More-Commandos-113962696
  10. https://www.deviantart.com/dannortonart/art/Commando-Helmet-concept-113962210
  11. https://www.gatchamania.net/thread.php?postid=60522
  12. https://www.picuki.com/media/1857574251281087648 Gatchaman pitch designs @ Kevin Munroe Instagram
  13. Battle Of The Planets, CGI-style
  14. IMAGI 2008/2009 interim report, PDF
  15. Steve Lumley interview
  16. Jun Falkenstein, LinkedIn. Confirms "project was shelved" after involvement
  17. https://www.facebook.com/cgprotege/posts/464317510253535/ Davis Vu CV
  18. Article on Gluck via DigitalJournal, 2022
  19. Director Kevin Munroe Revisits Imagi's TMNT Franchise
  20. Interview with Matthew Wilson, Escapist Magazine
  21. Bragi Schut's page at Gallantyne
  22. Tom Rogers' LinkedIn
  23. Mark Tarbox LinkedIn
  24. https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmurton
  25. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chi-kit-chan-66a57482
  26. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/monachow
  27. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/cedric-yiu-chi-shing-baab303a
  28. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/panlee-3d
  29. https://nz.linkedin.com/in/stephen-tong
  30. https://sg.linkedin.com/in/adom-yip-54744431
  31. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/aries-wu-628b7065
  32. https://cn.linkedin.com/in/chi-shing-tse
  33. Mark Renaud Blog
  34. https://www.flashintel.ai/people/Brian-Yam-67476cbb3351dfd0ce99d730d04920ce/
  35. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-lo-8a498140
  36. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yunglo
  37. https://www.linkedin.com/in/herman-kim-a749a63
  38. https://zerply.com/JFujii
  39. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hank-tucker-0092a54
  40. https://www.csulb.edu/school-of-art/page/davis-vu
  41. http://ultimatemark.com/arts/films.html
  42. https://www.linkedin.com/in/storydesign
  43. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-leker-6615999
  44. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/yhcheng
  45. https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-trebino-3109514
  46. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/ting-chung-70606151
  47. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-chan-38b04351
  48. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/chung-hei-leung-53b68698
  49. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/sai-pong-tony-yeung-5390b151
  50. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/chan-kwok-san-90765115
  51. https://zerply.com/phjoewong
  52. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/pok-chi-chan-33575718
  53. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/grass-cho-4292821a
  54. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/kk-ao-230768a5
  55. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/cyke-joe-439b4a8
  56. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/heihei
  57. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/gavinma
  58. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/jackdantehsu
  59. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ki-yu-169b818
  60. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/kai-kwong-s-1254501a
  61. https://sg.linkedin.com/in/vycw
  62. https://id.linkedin.com/in/yannigk
  63. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/fungwanfung
  64. https://sg.linkedin.com/in/mo-chan-55547721
  65. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/tsz-ho-so-05144085
  66. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/brian-ng-603145a9
  67. Dawn Hershey resume
  68. https://www.castingsociety.com/imo/media/user_assets/47dd560c-f84c-7a9f-cf57-a23fe0c91621/lamontagne_11.pdf Linda LaMontagne resume
  69. https://staffmeup.com/profile/3404186-Matthew-John-Beck Matthew Jon Beck's resume at StaffMeUp
  70. https://jp.linkedin.com/in/emeraldwong
  71. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/carsonwong
  72. https://hk.linkedin.com/in/tweety-tam-b583a021
Gatchaman media
TV animation Science Ninja Team Gatchaman · Gatchaman II · Gatchaman Fighter · New Gatchaman (unproduced)· Good Morning Ninja Team Gatchaman · Gatchaman Crowds · Battle of the Planets: Phoenix Ninjas (unproduced)
Movies Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: The Movie · Gatchaman (2011 - unproduced) · Gatchaman (2013)
Adaptations Battle of the Planets (movie) · Eagle 5 Brothers · G-Force: Guardians of Space · Eagle Riders· Battle of the Planets: The New Exploits of G-Force (unproduced)
Other Gatchaman (OVA) · NTT Gatchaman · Tachimals Theater · Infini-T Force · Time Bokan: Royal Revival


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