Michael Bay’s Transformers trilogy brought an 80s cartoon series based on toys to the big screen almost perfectly. So what other shows should we see in theaters? Masters of the Universe failed miserably, but as Transformers and GI Joe show us; if the series has enough money thrown at it you can pull off an entertaining action flick. Here are five more 80s cartoons we want to see big screen versions of.
Thundercats
We got a really cool remake on the Cartoon Network, but if GI Joe and Transformers can get a live-action movie; Thundercats should. It would be very easy for them to make it look like a cheesy furry fantasy, so they’ll need to get someone amazing like Rick Baker to do the make up, but if pulled off right this could be the Lord of the Rings of 80s cartoons on the big screen.
Voltron
For a while there was a live action Voltron stuck in development hell. Early concept art of it that leaked out looked like a Bayformer-inspired redesign, but the script was apparently pretty awesome. Maybe if del Toro’s Pacific Rim does well enough we’ll get to see this on the big screen. You can never get enough of giant robots smashing stuff up.
Silverhawks
The scifi equal to Thundercats, I’ve always kind of liked this one a bit more than the ‘cats. A completely space-based movie with shiny characters is a hard sell, just look at Green Lantern, so this one may be trickier to pull off than Thundercats. But if they are able to get the look right, it could be an epic space opera.
Dino Riders
Humans riding dinosaurs with giant weapons. How is this not being fast tracked into production? The toys, while seriously expensive in some cases, were awesome. We won’t be seeing a Jurassic Park 4 soon, so lets blow people’s minds with Dino Riders.
M.A.S.K.
M.A.S.K. was an awesome series that kind of combined elements from both GI Joe and Transformers. This one wouldn’t be too hard to pull off, and the transforming vehicles would appeal to gear heads and while it would be effects heavy it isn’t bizarre enough to turn off the average movie goer. Of all the series on this list, this is the one that could work the best on the big screen.
