Thunderbirds are go -again.
ITV is reviving the Thunderbirds in conjunction with NZ's Weta Workshop.
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ITV is reviving the Thunderbirds some 50 years after it first appeared.
The new series, which has the working title Thunderbirds Are Go!, will be made with Weta Workshop, the New Zealand special effects studio that worked on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The 26-part series will air on the UK on ITV and the CITV channel. ITV Studios retains the worldwide rights to the Thunderbirds brand, and remains global distributor.
The new series will feature a “unique mix of CGI animation and live-action model sets” and will “deliver a whole new level of action-adventure animation for today’s audience, whilst also affectionately paying tribute to the legacy of model locations from the classic series”.
ITV Studios UK managing director Denise O’Donoghue said: “Thunderbirds is a highly respected brand that continues to hold recognition around the world.
“This cult series is often credited as changing the history of animation and action-adventure, and we look forward to taking the show to another level while retaining the much-loved heritage that has endured over the past 50 years.”
Thunderbirds first appeared on ITV in 1965.
Creator Gerry Anderson died on 26 December last year, aged 83.
Source: The Guardian
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10 Responses
This could be good. Live action might refer to puppetry. We will just have to be patient and trust the good people at Weta will respect the legacy.
They should have gone completely CGI, like the New Captain Scarlet, which was well done.
@Tony Bee – nope, “live-action” is simply a differentiating term to used distinguish regular filming from animation. Nothing about it implies full-size or people being on-screen – any of the billion and six YouTube videos featuring cats are live-action as are the original Thunderbirds shows.
CGI will be used this time around because it is relatively cheap and permits a lot more flexibility than you get with having to make things for real.
I’m intrigued. In the right hands, this could be awesome. In the wrong hands, it could be another 2004 movie directed by Johnathon Frakes.
Sorry, but “live action” suggests real people.
Nobody has said anything about bringing in live actors. CGI and live model sets….see the word model?
So it will be real people? Why bother? Leave it in the past and come up with something fresh.
F-A-B!
The best things about the show was the puppets.
So it’s not a good idea to remove them. For instance see the live action remake.
People just can’t leave things alone.