Coming Soon: The Live-Action ‘Gaiking’ Movie You Didn’t Even Know You Were Waiting For

What do you get if you cross the company behind AMC's The Walking Dead TV show and the inspiration behind the Shogun Warriors? If you answered "A live action Gaiking movie introducing the world to a team of human-driven giant robots that save the world," then you're very right indeed.The newly-announced Gaiking project sees Valhalla Entertainment, the production company responsible for The Walking Dead, team with Toei Animation, Japan's largest animation production company to develop and co-produce a movie based on the 1970s anime Demon Dragon of the Heavens Gaiking, created by Devilman's Go Nagai. According to Valhalla's description of the movie will go like this:

Gaiking follows a young man who is recruited to serve as the lead pilot for the Super Robot Gaiking. When Earth is threatened by an alien race intent on taking over the planet, he emerges as the only one who can pilot the massive robot. Together with his fellow co-pilots he must fight off the alien force in order to save mankind.

Planned to be just the first in a series of movies based upon Toei Animation's characters, the company's Yoshi Ikezawa called Gaiking as "one of the most beloved giant robot animation franchises with a global fan base." Despite numerous translations of the original series - and a 2005 remake, Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu - being released in the U.S., the franchise is, however, possibly best-known over here as the basis for Mattel's Shogun Warriors toyline and the Marvel Comics that were spun out of it (Super Robot Gaiking itself never actually appeared in the comic, however).

Valhalla CEO, Gail Anne Hurd, will act as lead producer for the project, working alongside Toei's Ikezawa and Joseph Chou. Valhalla and Toei didn't specify a release date - or even release year - in the announcement, but a more important question than "When will this be released?" may be, will next year's Pacific Rim steal this project's thunder before shooting has even started?