Battle of the Planets is an American adaptation of the Japanese anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (from 1972). 85 of the 105 Science Ninja Team Gatchaman episodes were used in the American adaptation.
The plot and character development of the original Japanese series was generally faithfully adapted, though, some changes were made in order to increase the appeal of the series for American audiences and to appease parents — who wouldn't want their children hearing profanities or seeing graphic violence.
Well, the series is set for yet another American adaptation. This time it's a live-action one from the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (two of the highest-grossing movies of all time). This was announced during San Diego Comic-Con 2019 by the pair of directors. It's said that they will produce the movie, however, it's uncertain whether they will direct.
We haven't heard anything about the project since then so many may have assumed that it was simply dropped entirely. That's not the case. Joe Russo, of the Russo Brothers, recently provided Collider with an update on the live-action Battle of the Planets project wherein he explained the point in production that they currently find themselves: IP Incubation.
"We're in what we call the development phase. The way we work, we do what we call IP Incubation, and it is a protracted process," the producer began.
"We have to take something like Battle of the Planets, take it through a filter, find out what it is that we loved most about that show growing up, reinterpret it - because it is not going to be an exact adaptation of the series. It's going to be our own story to tell surrounding a group of genetically altered kids who are involved in a space war."
"That is the approach we take, and that can take months of gestating and trying to figure out what the new mythology is. Then we commit that to a bible and from that bible we do some artwork as exploration. Once we have artwork which we're inspired by, we write the script. So we're at the Bible phase of Battle of the Planets."