SHH (via Wall Street Journal) are reporting that JJ Abrams is set to develop the Micronauts toy/comic brand into a feature film. The toys were first released in Japan in 1974 (under the name Microman), the toys were imported to the U.S. by the Mego Corporation in 1976. Their first comic appearance was in “Micronauts #1″ (Marvel, Jan. 1979) with characterizations created by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden. Abrams tells the newspaper that those who doubt whether a board game or science-fiction toy should be accorded star status will be proved wrong. “Sometimes, when someone is not a celebrity and you are casting them in a role, everyone who is in a seat of authority voices questions about that actor’s talent, sex appeal, looks, ability — their everything,” he says. “But then they get the role, and suddenly they are on the cover of every magazine, and nobody questions those things again. In retrospect, everyone says, ‘Of course that person is a star.’”

I’ve read several articles about this since it was announced, but absolutely none of them tell you what Micronauts is about. To be honest, the story is pretty damn epic and awesome. It’s exactly what I’d expect from Abrams at this point. The Micronauts originate in the Microverse, a microscopic series of diverse habitats that are linked together in the fashion of molecule chains. On Earth they would be the size of toys. The original team comes together in response to the threat posed by former academic and now murderous dictator, Baron Karza. Commander Arcturus Rann (returning from a thousand-year deep space voyage in suspended animation) and Biotron, his robot co-pilot, return on the HMS (Homeworld Micro Ship) “Endeavor,” to discover Karza has slain the royal family, who are in fact Rann’s parents. What follows is an epic war across the Microverse: Rann and his allies against Karza.

I don’t know if that’s the storyline he’d run with, but I think it’s a damn good jumping off point if they decide to. I’m pretty much sold on whatever JJ Abrams wants to do. What do you think?

-Brian

Source: http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=8812