Amazon’s 'Voltron' Movie Adds 8, Including Sterling K. Brown And Rita Ora
The next generation of Voltron is here
Amazon MGM Studios has formed the next generation of Voltron, adding a whopping eight cast members to its live-action adaptation of the mech anime franchise announced over three days. They are This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown, singer Rita Ora, John Kim, Alba Baptista, Samson Kayo, Tharanya Tharan, Laura Gordon, and Tim Griffin, joining Daniel Quinn-Toye and Henry Cavill.
The Voltron franchise was born from dubbing Beast King GoLion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV into Voltron: Defender of the Universe in the mid-1980s, where for two years it was the top syndicated show. The premise centered on five young pilots in a battalion of Robot Lions that join together to form Voltron, a giant mech. New series were subsequently made through rightsholders World Events Productions, including the sequel series Voltron: The Third Dimension from 1998-2000 and Voltron Force, each 26 episodes, as well as the DreamWorks Animation-produced 78-episode reboot Voltron: Legendary Defender. When they say next generation, they mean it. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber, who wrote the script with Ellen Shanman shared in a video message to VoltCon-attending fans in Indiana in October that he wants “to make sure that we stay true to the heart and the spirit of Voltron. In this film, we’re going to be introducing an entirely new generation of pilots. We’ve reimagined Voltron for the live-action world, but we’re going to stay true to… those iconic elements that you love, that I love.”
That’s right, all the straw-grasping trying to make out who Cavill could be playing or which paladin Quinn-Toye could be might very well be for naught, especially on the latter as we’re likely getting all new characters. Unless one of the adults are playing an older version of a classic character. Like an Extreme Ghostbusters Egon Spengler or Power Rangers Dino Thunder Tommy Oliver, but that doesn’t vibe with “entirely new”. The presence of four female cast probably demonstrates a new crew the best, as it’s three more than the original cast, as the only original girl was Allura, and two more in the hypothetical Pidge is Katie instead of the original male iteration. So not only are plot details under wraps, no character details are available either.
Brown is best known as Randall Pearson on the NBC drama This Is Us, created by Dan Fogelman who he’s reuniting with for the Hulu drama series Paradise, to star and EP. He’s also an Oscar nominee for portraying Dr. Clifford "Cliff" Ellison in American Fiction, with previous credits also including Black Panther as N’Jobu, Frozen II, and Atlas and has By Any Means with Mark Wahlberg coming. He most recently wrapped on Hulu’s limited series Washington Black, and his most recent Emmy nomination came as Angstrom Levy on Invincible this year for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. Ora’s music career has racked up 10 billion global streams and 13 Top 10 U.K. singles, four of which have been No. 1. Hosting and judging numerous competition shows, her acting appearances include the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, Detective Pikachu and this year’s Descendants: The Rise of Red. Kim is an Australian actor who just appeared in Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions series. His other credits include the Apple TV+ series The Last Thing He Told Me starring Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice, The CW’s Nancy Drew and TNT’s The Librarians. His film credits include Netflix’s Purple Hearts and Warner Bros.’s The Little Things.
Baptista is best known for starring in the Netflix series Warrior Nun. She recently wrapped on A24’s Mother Mary, directed by Star Wars: Skeleton Crew director David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, and will be starring in the Margot Robbie-produced Borderline with Samara Weaving. Her most recent role is in Focus Features’s Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Kayo is probably best known for starring on Max’s beloved Our Flag Means Death and is currently filming F1 starring Brad Pitt. He was the voice of Baby Bear in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and starred in Judd Apatow’s The Bubble. Tharan mostly comes from Australian television but has appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller drama series Shantaram starring Charlie Hunnam.
Griffin’s work has mostly been in television, with credits including Grey’s Anatomy, Prime Suspect, Covert Affairs and Wayward Pines. Gordon starred in Late Night with the Devil with David Dastmalchian as well as the MGM+ series Hotel Cocaine and the Netflix political thriller Secret City. Her other films include Saw V, The Claremont Murders, Reckoning and Hunters. This pair was announced after Amazon MGM Studios declared the next generation of Voltron, officially announcing the eight prior to them, lending to probability that they are in more minor roles.
Thurber is also among the film’s producers, with Todd Lieberman via Hidden Pictures, Hobie Films’ David Hoberman, and Bob Koplar, the head of World Events Productions.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Variety