Animal Logic Entertainment and Tezuka Productions have teamed to develop a live-action movie based on Osamu Tezuka's beloved Astro Boy. The search is under way for writers.

"We actually see him in the same league as Iron Man," producer Zareh Nalbandian said in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Introduced in a manga series published from 1952 to 1968, Astro Boy is a powerful robot created by a scientist to replace his dead son. Eventually, he ends up in the care of the head of the Ministry of Science, where he undertakes a mission to fight evil using his super abilities.

Known largely for its special effects work, Animal Logic Entertainment's credits include Happy Feet and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The news of the film follows the summer announcement of an Astro Boy animated series from Tezuka Productions, Chibuya Productions and Caribara Animation. A CG-animated Astro Boy movie was released in 2009, but it performed poorly in the international box office.