French studio Method Animation (part of Mediawan Kids & Family) has joined forces with Monaco-based Shibuya Productions to deliver a new take on Osamu Tezuka’s iconic masterpiece, Astro Boy. Dubbed Astro Boy Reboot, the beloved character will blast back to screens in an all-new 52 x 26′ CGI television series helmed by Thomas Astruc (Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir).
“I am super proud to join forces with Tezuka Productions, which represents this exceptional artist, and my partners of Shibuya Productions, to offer Astro Boy to a all new generation of kids. Thomas Astruc, one of the incredible talent beyond Miraculous will bring a fresh and unique take on Tezuka’s work,” says Aton Soumache, Founder & President of Method Animation. “Astro Boy is so universal and contemporary that we are not only developing a reboot but a consistent continuum in the full respect of the original universe.”
Cédric Biscay, Shibuya Productions’ President & CEO, adds, “It is a huge responsibility to revisit the mythical character of Astroboy, I am particularly happy to have met at Method Animation an ambitious and passionate team that will allow us to take this series to the highest
heights.”
With 100 million copies sold worldwide, Astro Boy is one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 1963, the original animated series became a television hit all around the world — especially in Japan, the U.S. (where it was the first anime to be aired) and France — and opened the gates for other Japanese animated series.
The huge success of Astro Boy across manga, animation and merchandise has transformed him over the decades from an ordinary fantasy character into a pop-culture icon, with millions of fans both young and old.
Astro Boy (originally “Mighty Atom”) is the most iconic Tezuka super hero; a child-like robot who lives among humans and takes on the bad guys. This emblematic hero, who questions the attitude of Man on his planet, has undergone several iterations since its creation in the 1950s. Constantly reinventing thanks to the universality of its themes and the
strength of its message, Astro Boy has kept its relevance to each era.
Astro Boy Reboot is a continuation of the values emobied in Tezuka’s iconic character. It will thus address the major subjects of our time: the technological upheaval caused by the internet and social networks and its often harmful impact on humans, segregation in all its forms, the resulting relationships of domination, and the destruction of the environment by man.
“The show is really in line with what we love to do at Method Animation: adapting and creating Ips, bringing together the best international talents to create stories that will entertain and inspire kids and their families everywhere in the world,” says Julien Borde, Method’s EVP Managing Director and Chief Content Officer.
“I have no words to describe how much Osamu Tezuka has influenced my life and my work,” director Astruc affirms. “Astro Boy is a cult series that has overseen the future like no other property. In the strange world we live in today, everybody needs Astro Boy to come back!”
