New Astroboy Series in the Works

Method Animation and Shibuya Productions are working together on a new CGI show based on Astroboy, one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

The Astroboy manga, written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and was originally adapted into an animated series in 1963. The new 52×26-minute production will be a continuation of the values ​​carried by the iconic character.

The new series will address such modern topics as the technological upheaval caused by the internet and social networks and their often harmful impact on humans, segregation in all their forms, the resulting relationships of domination and the destruction of the environment by humans.

Thomas Astruc, creator and director of the hit Miraculous—Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, will direct the new show.

“I am super proud to join forces with Tezuka Productions, which represents this exceptional artist, and my partners of Shibuya Productions, to offer Astroboy to an all new generation of kids,” said Aton Soumache, founder and president at Method Animation. “Thomas Astruc, one of the incredible talents behind Miraculous, will bring a fresh and unique take on Tezuka’s work. Astroboy is so universal and contemporary that we are not only developing a reboot but a consistent continuum in the full respect of the original universe.”

“It is a huge responsibility to revisit the mythical character of Astroboy, and I am particularly happy to have met at Method Animation an ambitious and passionate team that will allow us to take this series to the highest heights,” added Cédric Biscay, Shibuya Productions’ president and CEO.

Julien Borde, Mediawan Kids and Family’s executive VP, managing director and chief content officer, said: “The show is really in line with what we love to do at Method Animation: adapting and creating IPs, bringing together the best international talents to create stories that will entertain and inspire kids and their families everywhere in the world.”

Astruc said: “I have no words to describe how much Osamu Tezuka has influenced my life and my work. Astroboy is a cult series that has overseen the future like no other property. In the strange world we live in today, everybody needs Astroboy to come back!”