liftoff —

Thunderbirds revamped characters revealed

The brothers who fly International Rescue's fleet of vehicles are back in a new show.

Thunderbirds revamped characters revealed
ITV

ITV's Thunderbirds reboot inches ever closer to its spring premiere, with the channel releasing the first look at the revamped Tracy Brothers. Fans of the classic puppet version of the show may want to sit down.

The promo image, seen above, shows the five young heroes who fly International Rescue's fleet of vehicles. From left to right, we have the new-look Scott, who pilots hypersonic rocket plane Thunderbird 1; Virgil, who flies the ever-popular multi-purpose dropship Thunderbird 2; Alan, in command of rocket Thunderbird 3; Gordon, captain of the aquatic Thunderbird 4; and John, commander of the team's orbiting satellite, Thunderbird 5.

The five will be voiced by Game of Thrones' Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Gordon and John, Rasmus Hardiker as Scott and Alan, and David Menkin as Virgil. They will be joined by Rosamund Pike as ally Lady Penelope, and David Graham as her chauffeur Parker, the role he voiced in the original 1965 series.

We have to admit—the CGI look for the characters is a bit more jarring than we were expecting. It's a marked departure from the traditional look, with the shift to hi-tech suits rather than the smart uniforms of the original series particularly striking. In the static poses they're presented in, the Tracy clan also looks a bit plastic. Keep an open mind until the first footage is revealed though, since animation tends to look better in motion.

The new Thunderbirds series is a co-production between ITV and New Zealand animation studio Pukeko Pictures. Lord of the Rings effects house Weta Workshop will also be pitching in on the visuals. The new series will also incorporate live action elements.

ITV has yet to announce a premiere date for the series, but has confirmed it will air in the UK first, on both the main terrestrial channel and the CITV satellite/cable network. The series has already been renewed for a second season, before airing a single episode.

Channel Ars Technica