TheMicronautsmovie has tappedHow to Train Your Dragondirector Dean DeBlois to helm the upcoming project. The movie will be DeBlois' first-ever live-action project after working in the world of animation for a number of years. The director has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on the Dragon series, which just wrapped up with this year’sHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. WhileMicronautsisn’t the biggest IP in Hollywood at the moment, DeBlois is expected to bring an engaging story to the Hasbro project.
In addition to directing theMicronautsmovie,Dean DeBloishas also been tapped to write the story. Hasbro’s Brian Goldner, Stephen Davis, and Greg Mooradian are producing through the company’s movie division, AllSpark Pictures. The Hasbro toys made their debut in the 1970s and were quickly followed by a Marvel Comics series, which gave them a backstory. The toys were originally made by Mego and were based on a line by “Japanese toy company Takara titled Microman.”
Micronautswere very popular in the late 1970s and offered a very different toy experience from Kenner’s line ofStar Warsaction figures. The original Marvel Comics from the 1970s told a story about aMicroversewhere “diverse worlds were linked together and in which a power mad dictator named Baron Karza kills the royal family, taking control.” The stories were all based on a small group of eclectic characters, which includes, “a pilot awoken from a centuries-long deep sleep, alien gladiators, and survivors of the coup,” as they “band together to form a resistance.”
Before Dean DeBlois came on board,J.J. Abrams' Bad Robotwas developing a different version of theMicronautsmovie.Deadpoolwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had written the script for the Bad Robot version, which was expected to be a pretty big departure from the original Marvel Comics stories. However, that idea has been tossed out. Though it’s unclear exactly what DeBlois is going for, it has been described “as centering on a group of intergalactic explorers.” That’s pretty vague, so hopefully we get some more information in the near future.
In addition to the original Bad RobotMicronautsproject,Hasbrohad the idea of a connected universe, which brought together other toy franchises.G.I. Joe,M.A.S.K.,ROM, andVisionarieswere all supposed to be in said connected universe, but it appears those plans have changed at this time. The movie is currently set to open on June 4th, 2021, so there’s still plenty of time to get everything lined up in terms of getting the story finalized, casting, and pre-production. With that said, the project will more than likely begin production early next year. After the success of theHow to Train Your Dragonfranchise, Dean DeBlois is set up to take theMicronautsto the next level.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to make the announcement.
