Another Classic ’80s Cartoon Is Getting Rebooted

SilverHawks, a 1986 animated series originally produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, is getting a reboot. The Nacelle Company, which also produces the Disney+ series Behind the Attraction and Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us documentary series, is producing the new SilverHawks. The show was conceived as another science fiction animated series to come on the heels of the successful ThunderCats. Although the show failed to achieve success at the time, Nacelle is banking on the show still having some fans.

The original series was animated by the Japanese Animation Corporation and only 65 episodes were produced in a single season. The story is set in the 29th Century, where heroes with metal bodies and wings are ordered to stop an organized crime ring to protect the Galaxy of Limbo. Commander Stargazer, Quicksilver, Bluegrass, Steelheart, Steelwill, and the Copper Kidd made up the main hero team. Mon*Star, a mob boss who terrorizes Limbo, was the main villain. All 65 episodes originally aired between September and December 1986. Warner Home Video’s Warner Archive Collection released the episodes on two DVD sets.

The SilverHawks revival is timed with Super7’s plan to release new SilverHawks action figures. The San Francisco-based toymaker picked up the Silverhawks IP. “SilverHawks is a beloved franchise that has been overlooked for far too long,” Super7 founder Brian Flynn said in a statement to Deadline. “We are super excited to be working with Nacelle to bring SilverHawks back into the limelight for the die-hard fans as well as a new generation of fans to experience the magic of SilverHawks for the first time.”

“When I spoke with Brian Flynn the first time, I was like the character Yes-Man! ‘Yessss, just tell me where to sign!’” Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss added. His company is behind the streaming documentaries The Movies That Made Us and The Toys That Made Us, two nostalgia-themed projects for Netflix. Nacelle also producers Down to Earth with Zac Efron.

While there is no word on what this SilverHawks reboot will look like, fans of ’80s animated shows have plenty of other projects to look forward to. One of them is a new adaptation of ThunderCats Warner Bros. is producing. Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) signed on to direct the project in March. It’s not clear when that project will be made though, as Wingard also signed on to direct Hardcore, a movie based on the comics by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri, for Universal.