For decades I have dreamed of a Ken Watanabe role for Robotech. Not only has he moved into the Godzilla movie role, he did a movie that I adore to this day, the historical movie, "Letters From Iwo Jima". To me the fact that he became General Kuribayashi of the Japanese Imperial Army just solidified my thought that Captain Gloval should be a strong military leader. And just like Kuribayashi fought with his life to save Japan from an invading superior American military, Admiral Gloval must do the same for the entire human race against the Zentradi Supervision Army.
His role in Inception tells me that he can act and raise the stakes of Robotech into the realm of more than just another Pacific Rim movie. In fact, I'd say that Ken Watanabe would move Robotech past Twilight, Hunger Games, and Divergent as a franchise. I'll be safe to say that it could easily surpass Star Trek and Star Wars by JJ Abrams!
All it needs is real depth. An actor playing the role of Captain Gloval with heart felt responsibility for U.N. Spacey and the SDF-1 can only be done by actor Ken Watanabe.
I don't even need to explain who he is. Hollywood already loves him, and Japan should make him a national treasure while we still have him.
As for Director James Wan? It would solidify his status as a premiere director if he can manage to involve Ken Watanabe into a space drama. And to convince the audience that this isn't just another explosion movie like Furious 7 nor Pacific Rim. And certainly it can move Robotech up to the likes of movies like Alien and Space Odyssey 2001. Which are established as epic movies for its time. And yes they are science fiction but are also considered some of the most dramatic movies of all time.
To me, Robotech can become some of the most action packed dramas in the history of science fiction. Perhaps much can be well said for the Ang Lee drama "Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger" where audiences were exposed to extreme Chinese drama but also peppered with traditional Chinese martial arts which made the film so thrilling that it was hard to grasp as a category.
Robotech in many ways is the same thing. Although there is mecha and a lot of action, the franchise also has very deep human characters which revolve around a rotating cast. Admiral Gloval takes on a very young crew to man the SDF-1. The entire deck is led by women half his age. Lisa Hayes is the a daughter of the Admiral in U.N. Spacey. And he constantly looks to her for assurances and calm within the young crew as they battle the Zentradi invasion.
Ken Watanabe will bring a sort of realism and fear. After all, Robotech won't be a movie if we don't feel the fear of death for mankind. In many ways, SDF-1 brought life on Earth. We are the descendants of creators who felt it was necessary for women and men to live together, love, and pro-create. Zentradi were the other descendants who were cloned and all-male with no other intention but war. Later in the Japanese Macross Movie, it was revealed that the Meltrandi were the descendants of our creators who were all-female and the enemy of the Zentradi. It's with that, that we are mixed in the middle of a interstellar war.
Admiral Gloval will look to Lynn Minmay, Rick Hunter, and Lisa Hayes to find a way to get out of the mess. And it'll come down to one song. "Do Your Remember Love?" written by the creators as a simple love song that resonates in the DNA of the Zentradi race that saves mankind.
In essence, Zentradi historian, Exodor realizes that we are descendants of the same creators and that we are considered "Protoculture". A term designated for a race that existed before Zentradi. In essence, Zentradi forces in factions turn against themselves to protect mankind.
Epic? Sure it is. But it's a story 30 years old. We fans know this love story but does the new audience? Well I'm one to say that actor Ken Watanabe can bring this to the table. And sure even Robotech audiences won't know this story because it was purposely removed for the U.S. market. Dumbing down the story now will only destroy a global franchise.
Ken Watanabe for Admiral Gloval... Need I say more?
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