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NEWS: Furious 7's James Wan in Talks to Direct Live-Action Robotech


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Cptn_Taylor



Joined: 08 Nov 2013
Posts: 925
PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:06 pm Reply with quote
We all know how this is going to end : Battle Los Angeles with the Robotech name slapped on it. In other words crap in crap out.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:23 pm Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Purple:
Quote:
They're now by far the biggest company in the Macross/Robotech game.


Actually, Warner was the biggest company. Sony's a freaking joke at this point.


I think he means that Sony has more money than Big West and Tatsunoko combined. Which still means nothing unless they buy the rights outright. The ones neither side want to sell.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:21 pm Reply with quote
Purple: wrote:
They're now by far the biggest company in the Macross/Robotech game.

GATSU wrote:


Actually, Warner was the biggest company. Sony's a freaking joke at this point.

Beatdigga wrote:


I think he means that Sony has more money than Big West and Tatsunoko combined. Which still means nothing unless they buy the rights outright. The ones neither side want to sell.
{Fixed your over-quoting. ~nobahn}

That is not entirely all. It means Sony has clout also.

Big West and Tatsunoko are not going to want to create ill will with Sony over this.

But if they did, they don't have a clear path to winning. I think the risks are not worth the rewards.
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Tempest_Wing



Joined: 07 Nov 2014
Posts: 305
PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:08 pm Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Tempest: Edge of Tomorrow's not based on an anime.

Close enough. I think it still paved the way for studios to consider adapting GiTS and Robotech.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:06 pm Reply with quote
Beat:
Quote:
I think he means that Sony has more money than Big West and Tatsunoko combined.


Yeah, but Bandai's bigger than all of them, too. And I don't think they'll take kindly to Sony trying to cash in on knock-off Valkyrie toys in Asia. Rolling Eyes

Tars:
Quote:
Big West and Tatsunoko are not going to want to create ill will with Sony over this.


Not a lawyer, but whatever the contract says stands, not what Sony/HG wants. And if Sony/HG aren't allowed to touch Macross in Japan, China, Taiwan, and/or S. Korea, then it will be a sticking point. The reason being that the former company has to release that kind of movie over there to guarantee a profit on what will inevitably be a big budget film. I mean, Stealth was a bootleg Macross Plus movie, and the bastard still cost over $100 million. So imagine how expensive the real deal will be.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 2:12 am Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
TarsTarkas wrote:

or Sony will just make a generic space movie using the Robotech name on it (and that will be a marketing decision).

Which completely defeats the purpose of buying the Robotech name.


Or, if they want to make a movie that's based on Robotech, close enough to Robotech, but want a smooth production with no hiccups - a big company like a Hollywood studio may just buy out a story if it's relatively cheap enough (for them) so they can't be accused of plagiarizing and have to share more of the profits later than they have to.

Dunno how much Sony paid off Harmony Gold, but if it's a few million, that's chump change. Studios pay off low-cost stories like that all the time just so they have control of it, and not another studio taking it just in case, even if they end up not doing anything with it (just considered a small loss).


GATSU wrote:

Tars:
Quote:
Big West and Tatsunoko are not going to want to create ill will with Sony over this.

Not a lawyer, but whatever the contract says stands, not what Sony/HG wants. And if Sony/HG aren't allowed to touch Macross in Japan, China, Taiwan, and/or S. Korea, then it will be a sticking point.


A contract is only as good as how well ya can defend it in court. Lawyers have a lot of weaselly ways to get around it; there's no such thing as a slam dunk. Furthermore, J-companies tend to avoid direct lawsuits - ruins the wa harmony, particularly when they do a lot of business with each other.
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BodaciousSpacePirate
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Joined: 17 Apr 2015
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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 3:14 am Reply with quote
MajorZero wrote:
On topic, does Robotech have any kind of recognition among general public?


It's actually still a fairly successful IP, considering the show's age.

There was a Kickstarter for a Robotech board game back in 2013. The target goal was $70,000, and it made over $1,400,000. I backed it because it came with an absurd number of officially-licensed Macross model kits for the price.

They've shipped the Valkyrie, Destroid, and Battlepod model kits out to everyone, but the company in charge of making the model kits is taking forever on the Female Power Armor and Super Valkyries. At this rate, it's going to be years before they start producing the Genesis Climber MOSPEDA stuff.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 4:05 am Reply with quote
enurtsol:
Quote:
so they can't be accused of plagiarizing and have to share more of the profits later than they have to.


This is not about plagiarizing, since they technically have the rights to the property here, until otherwise noted. Again, the main issue is that they do not have the Asian rights, but they want that Asian dough. And I don't think that it's going to end nicely, unless Sony's willing to pay whatever 'service fee' it takes to release that movie in Japan, S. Korea and China. And, of course, they're not going to want to pay. So, it will still probably result in a nasty showdown, assuming the movie gets made in the first place.

But I imagine that's why Warner really dropped Robotech. They did the math, and they know they can't break even-let alone make money-on a hypothetical adaptation without releasing it in Asia.

Quote:
Dunno how much Sony paid off Harmony Gold, but if it's a few million, that's chump change.


If they were stupid enough to screw themselves out of merch royalties, like with the Spider-Man movies, then they might've still gotten a raw deal.

Quote:
Furthermore, J-companies tend to avoid direct lawsuits - ruins the wa harmony, particularly when they do a lot of business with each other.


Yes, but again, I don't think they'll appreciate someone trying to muscle in on their turf like that. They notice those things.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 8:36 am Reply with quote
If Sony did go the pay off route, they would need to pay off Harmony Gold so they can stop trolling anyone who says "Macross", Big West, and then finally Tatsunoko. And then, if by some miracle everyone accepts as opposed to wanting to stay in the same quagmire they've been in for 30 years, they would still need to make a script that makes Minmei plausible and give her an actress that wouldn't make people want to strangle her. Much easier to take the next "Battle: Los Angeles", slap on the Robotech name, and call it a day.
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walw6pK4Alo



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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 8:47 am Reply with quote
Who said they'd even have a Minmei?
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 8:49 am Reply with quote
If they were to do an adaptation of Macross, which is less and less likely every day, half of the story is the love triangle with a pop idol. And the whole pop music and culture messing with aliens. That would be laughed out of every theatre in the Western world.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5896
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 9:02 am Reply with quote
BodaciousSpacePirate wrote:
MajorZero wrote:
On topic, does Robotech have any kind of recognition among general public?


It's actually still a fairly successful IP, considering the show's age.
.....


Syfy's Blastr site sure talks about Robotech like it is still popular, and it is not brimming with hate filled comments like ANN typically is.

I was in a comic book store in Gainesville, Florida recently, and was surprised to see all the Robotech gaming materials, including some large kits. Store owner said they sell pretty well.

Anime fans have a negative bias when it comes to Robotech, because of the Harmony Gold vs Macross issue. And it colors a lot of their thinking and arguments.

Outside of the anime niche, most fans could care less about the Robotech vs Macross controversy.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 11:05 am Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Who said they'd even have a Minmei?


And how many Sony threads do we have to go through before "It's Harmony Gold's baby, and their own name to sell....That means MADE-UP CRAP!!" finally sinks in?

We may have to beat the point in to the blindly hopeful with more pointed methods. An iron crowbar is pointed enough. Evil or Very Mad
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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Location: New York
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 11:23 am Reply with quote
I was just saying that even if it was possible, they're probably better off with the "Rename Battle: Los Angeles 2" method. The most likely method.

It's gonna suck either way.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15386
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga:
Quote:
That would be laughed out of every theatre in the Western world.


Because a movie based on a bad erotic fanfic is so much more respectable. Rolling Eyes
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