Attendees to WonderCon 2016 in Los Angeles were treated to a sneak preview of Netflix’s new animated series ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender,’ a modern revival of the classic 80s anime. On hand were Executive Producer Joaquim Dos Santos (The Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender), Co-Executive Producer Lauren Montgomery (The Legend of Korra), and writer Tim Hedrick (The Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender). Also present were the newly unveiled voice cast, (l-r) Josh Keaton, Steven Yeun, Bex Taylor Klaus, Jeremy Shada and Tyler Labine.
Josh Keaton plays Shiro, the pilot of the Black Lion. An accomplished voice actor, he previously voiced Spider-Man on ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ and Hal Jordan on ‘Green Lantern: The Animated Series’. Steven Yeun voices Keith, the pilot of the Red Lion and is best known for playing Glenn on ‘The Walking Dead’. He also previously worked with the producers when he voiced Wan on ‘The Legend of Korra’. Like Yeun, Bex Taylor-Klaus is perhaps best known for her live action work. She played Sin on ‘Arrow’ and Audrey on ‘Scream: The TV Series’. She also had a role in ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ and has done voice work on ‘Robot Chicken’ on which she played Hermione Granger. She provides the voice for Pidge, the Green Lion pilot. Jeremy Shada is best known for voicing Finn on ‘Adventure Time’. He also voiced Robin on ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ and will voice Lance, the Blue Lion pilot on ‘Voltron’. Tyler Labine voices Hunk, the Yellow Lion pilot and is also mostly known for his live action work, having co-starred on ‘Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil’ and as one of the recurring Stoners on both the original and new ‘X-Files’ series.
Also present, but not pictured was Rhys Darby (‘Flight of the Conchords’, ‘What We Do In The Shadows’) as Coran. Not present was Kimberly Brooks (‘Ben 10: Omniverse’, ‘Steven Universe’) as Princess Allura.
The new show is produced by DreamWorks Animation.
Do Santos stated:
Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos
“As children of the 80s who grew up with Voltron what was there not to love? You had 5 awesome lions, piloted by 5 awesome heroes who combined to form a giant, sword wielding Titan! It unapologetically married Sci-fi and Fantasy in one incredibly over the top, bombastic package. Fans of the new series [Voltron: Legendary defender] can look for us to keep all those elements but also expect a much more fleshed out universe with a rich backstory and characters who will evolve over the course of the series.”
From days long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe comes the Netflix Original Series, VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER! DreamWorks Animation reimagines one of the most popular fan-favorite shows of all time in this all-new comedic action-packed show from executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos (The Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender) and co-executive producer Lauren Montgomery (The Legend of Korra).
Five unsuspecting teenagers, transported from Earth into the middle of a sprawling intergalactic war, become pilots for five robotic lions in the battle to protect the universe from evil. Only through the true power of teamwork can they unite to form the mighty warrior known as VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER.
The first season consists of 13 episodes and will become available on June 10, 2016.
Are you excited to see a new version of ‘Voltron’ for a new generation?
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
Yeun, Bex Taylor-Klaus is perhaps best known for her live action work. She played Sin on ‘Arrow’ and Audrey on ‘Scream: The TV Series’. She also had a role in ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ and has done voice work on ‘Robot Chicken’ on which she played Hermione Granger. She provides the voice for Pidge, the Green Lion pilot. Jeremy Shada is best known for voicing Finn on ‘Adventure Time’. He also voiced Robin on ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ and will voice Lance, the Blue Lion pilot on ‘Voltron’. Tyler Labine voices Hunk, the Yellow Lion pilot and is also mostly known for his live action work, having co-starred on ‘Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil’ and as one of the recurring Stoners on both the original and new ‘X-Files’ series.
