With 50 years of superheroics under his belt and a legion of adoring fans at his rocket-powered heels, the upcoming and much-anticipated big-screen CGI adventures of Astro Boy is now set to be an even starrier affair. News reaches us from Imagi Studios that the likes of Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy are lending their vocal chords to the flick with Freddie Highmore in the title role.
Created by the "God of Manga", Japan's Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy started out in the early 1950s and the character has since starred in three acclaimed animated television series and popped up on a shed-load of merchandising.
The new movie will be set in the futuristic Metro City, where we meet our hero, a young robot who was created by a brilliant scientist to replace his dead son. Despite having some rather spiffy powers, Astro Boy is unable to fulfill his Gepetto-like father's expectations and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
It’s all sounding rather Pinocchio-esque with a touch of the A.I. Artificial Intelligence, which may not be a bad thing. Astro Boy is set to be released in 2009. Watch this space for all the latest developments.