Weta Workshop have worked on everything from the upcoming Superman The Man of Steel to the Hobbit film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, King Kong and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy to the Eighth Doctor’s steampunk-inspired sonic screwdriver.
They will now be turning their talents to the beloved Gerry Anderson TV series Thunderbirds for a new generation.
Via Stuff.co.nz
Last updated 09:17 05/02/2013Weta Workshop plans to tackle another well-loved tale – re-inventing the Thunderbirds television series.
One of the UK’s biggest production companies, ITV Studios, is pairing with Weta and New Zealand-based Pukeko Pictures to make Thunderbirds are Go!.
The show is set to air in 2015, 50 years after the original series launched.
The 26-part re-incarnation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s iconic puppetry series featuring the Tracy family and Lady Penelope will use both CGI animation and live-action model sets, Weta Workshop announced.
Weta Workshop and Pukeko Pictures founder Sir Richard Taylor said the original series was “hugely influential” on him as a child, and therefore he was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the children’s show.
“I…look forward to designing and creating an inspirational world that will engage the imagination of a whole new generation as it did for us nearly half a century ago.”
Pukeko Pictures was founded in 2008 by Sir Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Martin Baynton, and produced animated children’s shows Jane and the Dragon and the Wotwots.
My 4 year-old son has become enamored with the Thunderbirds of late and the notion of a new revamped version of the series that still pays homage to Anderson’s program makes me very happy. It reminds me of my years as a Doctor Who fan which few people even knew about let alone liked only to see it become the most popular TV series of its kind.
Crap… hopefully things’ll work out better for Thunderbirds.
Overview of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Supermarionation
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