The movie version of AstroBoy has found itself a new director. Originally the movie was being made by Colin Brady, but he's now been replaced by David Bowers, one of the directors of the hugely fun Flushed Away. No mention of a reason for Brady's exit from the project, or indeed any mention of Brady, was made in the official press release from Imagi Studios.
Bowers said: "I've had a lifelong affection for the original AstroBoy, so am looking forward to giving him the full action-adventure Hollywood treatment. His story is both emotional and spectacular, so it absolutely lends itself to the big screen. With the amazing crew that Imagi has assembled, I feel there's an opportunity to create something very special – a film to surprise audiences, have them on the edge of their seats, and hopefully make them laugh, too."
AstroBoy is a Pinocchio type story about a robot boy with special powers who was created by a scientific genius in the image of his dead son. Unable to be a real boy for his father, AstroBoy heads off into the world in search of acceptance.
One other thing you should know about Bowers is that he started his animation career on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which, as we all know, is one of the BEST films ever made, so that's a good sign.