The long-running and massively popular anime launched in 1979 and has spawned a multibillion-dollar franchise that includes multiple series (see “DVD Round-Up: 'Mary and the Witch's Flower,' 'Winchester,' '12 Strong,' 'Peter Rabbit,' 'Naruto,' & 'Gundam'”), animated films, video games, toys, collectibles (see “Immortalize Manga Favorites With High End Collectibles”), books, manga, and more. The mecha series is set in the 22nd century, an era called the Universal Century, in which humans have expanded into space and the colonies they established have declared independence from Earth, resulting in a violent military confrontation involving humanoid robot suits.
Legendary is currently filming a live-action take on Detective Pikachu with Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool 2), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Ken Watanabe (Godzilla), and more (see “'Super Mario' Gets Animated, 'Cowboy Ninja Viking' Lands Director, John Cena for 'Duke Nukem'?”).