Variety is reporting that director Colin Brady has been replaced by David Bowers on the feature film version of the classic manga, Astro Boy.
The announcement was made by Imagi Entertainment's Co-CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Francis Kao, and there was no official reason given for the switch.
Created in 1951 by legendary Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy tells the story of a young robot boy who fights crime and technology gone wild, as well as the usual manga struggles of humanity versus technology, and of course, what it means to be human. Michael Lachance's script will focus on "a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him."
Astro Boy is scheduled for release in 2009.