Thunderbirds are Go!

ITV Studios is to bring back the iconic series after 50 years - for a 2015 debut on CITV.

In collaboration with world-famous Weta Workshop (Avatar, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) and New Zealand based Pukeko Pictures, ITV Studios will reinvent Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's iconic series.

It will be produced using a unique mix of CGI animation and live-action model sets, and deliver a new level of action-adventure animation for today's audience, whilst also affectionately paying tribute to the legacy of model locations from the classic series.

Featuring the world's most famous family of heroes, International Rescue, Thunderbirds are Go! will blast the five brave Tracy brothers back on to television screens piloting their incredible vehicles into impossible rescues across the globe.

Denise O Donoghue, Managing Director ITV Studios UK, comments: “Thunderbirds is a highly respected brand that continues to hold recognition around the world. This cult series is often credited as changing the history of animation and action-adventure, and we look forward to taking the show to another level while retaining the much-loved heritage that has endured over the past fifty years.”

Jamila Metran, Head of Programming for CITV, adds: "Thunderbirds Are Go! will be a hugely exciting new show for the CITV audience. We're delighted to be working with ITV Studios and the talented teams at Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop, whose success and innovation is renowned across the film and television industry. Thunderbirds is a much-loved British institution with significant global recognition, and our audience will relish this timely opportunity to discover the new series fifty years on."

The creator of the original Thunderbirds series, Gerry Anderson, passed away in December at the age of 83. His funeral at Reading Crematorium was followed by a reception in Henley-on-Thames, where he lived. He once said he didn't like working with puppets...