Still holding your breath for a live-action Voltron movie? Well you’re going to have to keep waiting, because it doesn’t look like the movie is anywhere closer to becoming reality, what with news that New Regency has recently put the film, the full title of which is “Voltron: Defender of the Universe” into turnaround. Everyone involved still plans to get the movie made, but the budget isn’t there, and if anything, the budget may get slashed before a deal is agreed upon. That, and the Japanese right holders are being fidgety about letting a big Hollywood studio mess with their animal robots.

Variety has more on the convoluted details:

Relativity would finance and produce the project as part of its one-off picture business and shop it to distributors. In the past, Relativity films have been released by Lionsgate (”3:10 to Yuma”) and Universal (”Mr. Brooks”).

Last summer, New Regency picked up the rights to the property, adapted by scribe Justin Marks, who’s behind Warner Bros.’ bigscreen versions of “He-Man” and “Green Arrow.”

Marks’ take is described as a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth’s invaders.

Basically, it may or may not get made. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. The whole thing sounds pretty ludicrous to me in the first place. Five giant robot animals fighting aliens? It just doesn’t sound doable; or if it does become doable, would it look any less sillier than the Power Rangers TV show?