It’s official: Henry Cavill’s live-action Voltron movie is skipping theaters and heading straight to streaming.
Amazon MGM Studios confirmed the news during its slate presentation at Amazon Upfront on Monday, announcing the movie will debut on Prime Video instead of getting a theatrical release.
Voltron Heads To Prime Video
The update confirms what had previously been reported: Amazon is sending Voltron directly to streaming.
Cosmic Book News first covered the streaming report last year when The Wrap claimed Voltron would skip theaters, similar to Amazon’s Road House release strategy.
Producer Bob Koplar later avoided confirming the plan, saying only that the movie had wrapped and calling it “the Voltron experience our fans have been dreaming of.”
Now Amazon has made it official.
Plot Leaks Teased Sequel To The Original Cartoon
Plot details have not been officially released, nor have first-look images of footage, but a previous test screening leak claimed Voltron is not a full reboot. Instead, the leak described the movie as a sequel to the original 1980s cartoon.
The story reportedly follows a new war between the Galaxy Alliance and the Galra, with Sterling K. Brown said to be playing Emperor Zarkon. The Lions awaken again and summon a new generation of pilots, including a young Earth-born hero named Mac.
Henry Cavill reportedly has a smaller but important supporting role as the son of Princess Allura and the king of Altean. The leak also claimed Cavill has a standout sword fight scene.
Big Movie, Small Screen
The streaming release is still a questionable move.
Voltron seems made for the big screen, especially if the movie features giant Lions, space battles, and the combined robot in full action.
The previous test screening leak even claimed the movie felt bigger than a straight-to-streaming release and said Voltron looked faithful to the original design, despite unfinished effects.
Amazon also recently teamed with Hasbro for action figures, toys, and roleplay items based on the film, so the studio is clearly treating Voltron as a major franchise play.
Recently saw Mortal Kombat II underperform, and Masters of the Universe doesn’t seem to be tracking well, so Amazon might have been hesitant to pull the trigger on a theatrical release featuring an IP aimed at an older audience.
Voltron Cast And Release Info
The live-action Voltron movie is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who also wrote the story. The screenplay is by Ellen Shanman and Thurber.
The cast includes Henry Cavill, Sterling K. Brown, Alba Baptista, Rita Ora, Daniel Quinn-Toye, John Kim, Samson Kayo, Tharanya Tharan, Laura Gordon, and Tim Griffin.
Amazon has not announced an official Prime Video release date.
(note: featured image is Henry Cavill Voltron fan art)
