ThunderCats: the '80s fantasy adventure you loved is officially getting a reboot

If you grew up anywhere near the 1980s, you probably either loved ThunderCats or at least clocked it on telly while flicking between He-Man and Inspector Gadget. Well, guess what—Warner Bros. Animation is having another crack at the famous franchise, this time with a brand new animated film. For anyone who’s lost count, yes, that’s separate from that other ThunderCats movie that’s been floating about in Hollywood limbo for ages.

ThunderCats: Back to the Drawing Board

The studio revealed their plans at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. It’s the first proper confirmation that the animated ThunderCats movie is officially moving forward, though as usual, details are thin on the ground—release date, cast, creative team, the lot all to be announced.

ThunderCats originally hit screens back in 1985, following a gang of feline aliens legging it from their destroyed home planet and setting up shop on 'Third Earth.' Cue battles with skeletal baddie Mumm-Ra, flagship heroes like Lion-O (who’s about as subtle as his name suggests), gadget-geek Panthro, fast-as-lightning Cheetara, and, of course, Snarf, whose entire personality is just being a nuisance in cat form.

That Adam Wingard Confusion

Here’s where things get a bit messy. If you keep up with film production gossip, you might recall that Adam Wingard—the fella who directed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire—said earlier this year that he was working on a ThunderCats film, writing a script with regular collaborator Simon Barrett. In his words:

'It’s super awesome. I’m really excited about it.'

Unfortunately, whatever Wingard was 'actively working on' doesn’t seem to be what Warner Bros. Animation just announced. For starters, he’s gone off to do an A24 original called Onslaught first. And more to the point, his was a live-action ThunderCats adaptation, whereas this new movie is fully animated. So, you’re looking at two entirely separate projects—and there’s every chance the live-action version has been quietly tucked into a drawer for now.

Why Stick to Animation?

If you fancy a bit of speculation, it probably makes sense for Warner Bros. to stick with the animated format. Remember Amazon’s live-action Masters of the Universe film? The one they allegedly splashed out $200 million on and still barely made a dent at the box office? Not a resounding success—possibly a sign that the thirtysomethings who adored those properties as kids just aren’t showing up in big enough numbers, and new fans aren’t taking the bait.

ThunderCats and He-Man are constantly mentioned in the same breath: both sprang from the same 80s cocktail of sword-wielding superheroes, magic, high camp, and toy sales driving the whole thing. They’ve both had a string of attempted revivals, including new animation and toys practically every decade.

Let’s Talk Cast (Sort Of)

No voice cast has been revealed for this new animated take. And anyone hoping for that viral fan-trailer version with Henry Cavill as Lion-O—steady on, this is probably not that. It’s just the animation team at Warner Bros. officially pressing go (for now).

• Lion-O: Main hero, big hair, wields the Sword of Omens
• Panthro: Resident tech wizard, all muscle and sarcasm
• Cheetara: Moves faster than your attention span
• Snarf: Comic relief, mostly there to be annoying
• Mumm-Ra: Basically a zombie sorcerer with a thing for monologues

At this point, it’s up in the air whether the live-action version will ever see the light of day, but for now, the animated ThunderCats movie is off the starting block.