Well holy crap -- who knew they were making a new animated Astro Boy film?

Set to hit theaters next year, the film is being directed by Flushed Away director David Bowers and was penned by the dude who wrote Kindgergarten freakin' Cop (Timothy Harris). Add in voices by Nic Cage and Kristen Bell and you've got yourself a whole ball of what-the-f**k.

Not surprisingly, along with the film will come the release of a game, and D3Publisher has announced that it will be publishing the title next year. No word on the developer, but we can only hope it's as solid as Treasure's Game Boy Advance game, Astro Boy: Omega Factor. More of that and less that Astro Boy game that Sonic Team made for the PlayStation 2, thanks. 

Press release after the jump. 

Imagi Studios & D3Publisher Ink Exclusive Worldwide Videogame Publishing Agreement for Astro Boy

First Games Based on the Spectacular CG-Animated Movie Scheduled for Q4 2009

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, together with its parent D3, Inc., today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Imagi Studios for videogames based on the new animated adventure film, Astro Boy. The games are scheduled to be released for console and handheld systems in Q4 2009 to coincide the worldwide release of the movie in October 2009.

“The rich history and endearing story of Astro Boy appeals to fans around the globe and translates exceptionally well to the interactive space,” said Yoji Takenaka, president and chief executive officer, North America and Europe, D3P. “We look forward to working with Imagi to bring the film’s unique cast of characters to life in a compelling videogame that fans and gamers of all ages will enjoy.”

Erin Corbett, President of Imagi Studios U.S., said: “We are delighted to have D3Publisher as our exclusive worldwide interactive partner, and we look forward to seeing Astro Boy raised to new superhero heights in the videogame universe.”

About Astro Boy (The Movie)

Set in the future, Imagi Studio’s Astro Boy is a classic superhero origin story about a young robot with incredible powers and his adventure-filled journey in search of his identity and destiny, taking him into a netherworld of robot gladiators before he returns to save Metro City.

David Bowers (Flushed Away) is directing Astro Boy from a screenplay written by Timothy Harris (Kindergarten Cop, Trading Places), with Maryann Garger producing. The all-star cast is headed by Academy Award®-winning actor Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy and Donald Sutherland, with Freddie Highmore in the title role.

The iconic character Astro Boy has found global popularity since his creation in the early 1950s by Japan’s Osamu Tezuka, known as the “god of manga” and “father of anime,” and has been the hero of three acclaimed animated television series aired around the world.

Astro Boy, slated for domestic release on October 23, 2009, is being distributed worldwide by Summit Entertainment except for Imagi’s reserved territories of Japan, Hong Kong and China.

About Summit Entertainment, LLC

Summit Entertainment, LLC is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment also represents international sales for both its own slate and third-party product. Summit Entertainment plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

About Imagi Studios

Imagi International Holdings Limited (“Imagi”) is a listed company [Stock Code 585] on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Imagi’s principal business is the development and production of CG-animated theatrical feature films. Imagi’s first theatrical movie TMNT was released in March 2007, opening #1 in U.S. box office revenue, only the third time in history that an Asian-made film has achieved that honor. Imagi has development operations in Los Angeles, California, and CG production studios at its Chai Wan (Hong Kong) headquarters.

About D3Publisher

D3Publisher, a subsidiary of D3, Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment publisher and distributor for licensed and original titles for personal computers, major console platforms and handheld systems. D3Publisher has operations in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. The company also owns development studio Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., and its technology platform, Vicious Engine. Recent releases have included Dark Sector®, Dead Head Fred®, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords®, and Ben 10™: Protector of Earth. For more information about D3Publisher, please visit: www.d3publisher.com.