A live action Thundercats movie is something that the Hollywood machine has been working on for quite some time now, but while we await the release of the adaptation coming courtesy of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire director Adam Wingard, a concept trailer has been created by YouTube user @stryderHD. And, while the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will make many a movie fan understandably shudder, it’s difficult to argue with the casting on display.
Man of Steel and The Witcher star Henry Cavill leads the pack as Lion-O, and thus continuing the trend of casting the former Superman as beloved characters following his cameo as Wolverine in the recent Deadpool sequel. The rest of the cast includes Naomi Scott (Aladdin, Smile 2) as Cheetara, Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as Tygra, Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Panthro, Liam Neeson (Taken) as Jaga, Alexandra Daddario (Mayfair Witches) as Pumyra, Alan Tudyk (Rogue One, I, Robot) as Snarf, and the lovably creepy Willem Dafoe as the villainous Mumm-Ra.
The footage also adds Dune and Aquaman star Jason Momoa to the fray, slyly casting the Lion-O fan-favorite as the villainous Grune The Destroyer instead. Which, frankly, is a far better use of the Game of Thrones star. And, if all of this was not enough to excite those of a certain generation, the trailer ends with a quick mock-up of Reacher star Alan Ritchson as a live action He-Man. You can check out the ThunderCats live action concept trailer below.
First airing way, way back in 1985, ThunderCats is now a firm childhood favorite for many. The science fiction story follows a group of cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet Thundera. When the dying planet meets its end, the group, known as the Thundercats, is forced to flee its homeland, and end up on Third Earth, eventually battling all manner of mutants, monsters and the evil overlord, Mumm-Ra.
Will the Live Action ThunderCats Movie Ever Happen?
Godzilla vs. Kong and The Guest director Adam Wingard has been signed on to helm the live action ThunderCats movie since 2021. While updates have been infrequent of late, the filmmaker has stated that the movie is one of his “top priorities.”
Wingard has also teased what audiences can expect, revealing that the alien world of Third Earth will be inspired by the visuals of the Hollow Earth as seen in the MonsterVerse (something that the above concept also clearly takes inspiration from). Speaking with Collider earlier this year, the filmmaker has also revealed that his plan for the ThunderCats movie is to “stay as true to the source material as possible.”
“Well, I think you have to have a little bit of both. You gotta take it seriously. In the cartoon, even though it was definitely for kids, the characters were in a fair amount of danger. I’m definitely still scarred from that one episode where Lion-O’s getting wrapped up in the mummy, the rope, and he’s in the temple. That really messed me up as a kid.
But yeah, I think any good adaptation these days is you’ve got to stay as true to the source material as possible. That’s what people really want, and that’s sort of our goal. I mean, if you’re doing something that’s beyond being a kid’s cartoon, obviously you have to raise the stakes. So, yeah, it’s got a little bit of both of that.”
