September 10, 2009 | by Ross Miller 

He-Man Leaves Warner Bros.

Masters of the Universe

We heard once before that the new live-action He-Man, or Masters of the Universe, movie was D.O.A., but for the last 10 months or so it’s looked liked the film has been on track, with a director attached and more than one writer. However, even though it seems we’ll still see a new, updated version of the trials and tribulations of the muscled hero, it appears it won’t be at Warner Bros.

WB and producer Joel Silver have been developing a new Masters of the Universe for the last couple of years, but Variety is reporting that they and toymaker, Mattel, have parted ways because they weren’t able to see eye-to-eye on the direction the reinvention was going. The story (obviously) revolves around the character of He-Man, who is battling against the evil Skeletor for control over his magical homeland.

The hope/expectation is to still have Kung Fu Panda director, John Stevenson, on-board to helm the project – but it will have to be without producer Joel Silver, as he’s exclusive to WB. No word on whether or not the scripts by either Justin Marks or Evan Daugherty will still be used (the latter was brought in to write another script after the former wrote his). Mattel is shopping the project round at other studios, but since the company wasn’t happy with the direction this new version was going in, I wouldn’t be surprised if a new writer was brought on-board.

No matter where Masters of the Universe lands itself, I hope what we end up with is a no-nonsense, kick-ass version of the story, as opposed to another cheesy version like the 1987 film with Dolph Lundgren. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the original, but that was a movie very much of its time, and another one done in the same vein just wouldn’t work nowadays, IMO. He-Man is a great character, and has potential to shine in a serious, kick-ass film – just look at the guy! Would you wanna’ mess with him?

He-Man

As for Warner Bros., they still have Mattel’s Hot Wheels to fall back on. I wonder if the two companies will part ways over “disagreement of direction” on that film as well. Seems unlikely… or does it?

What do you think of WB and Mattel parting ways on the new Masters of the Universe? Which studio would you like to see the property end up at?

Source: Variety

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  • I would definitely watch this in the theatre, probably 10x! I remember when I was way younger,I would wake my parents up in another room cause I was talking in my sleep screamin' He-Man lines before he draws his sword..."I have the Powerrr!!" Lol!
  • Luke
    "but that was a movie very much of its time, and another one done in the same vein just wouldn’t work nowadays."

    The original didn't work even in 1987. Why do you think it bombed and was panned by critics. I remember seeing it when I was about nine and even was disappointed.
  • rastaZen
    I thought the first flick was merely ok.
    I would be happy to see an updated and more aggressive version.

    I realized its based on a cartoon/kids toy-line but I'm sure most of the original fans would appreciate a slightly more grown up version.
  • darthbalo
    How hard can this be to write a decent script with all the characters already created with a background story? Put enough money behind He-Man with a good director and it will turn it ok.
  • BigJIM
    The biggest problem with the 1987 version of "Masters Of The Universe" was that it didn't look anything like the cartoon!!!

    IMO, if you make a movie based on a cartoon or comic book, the production has to be accurate!!! Look at "The Flintstones", "The Addams Family", "The Little Rascals", and "The Beverly Hillbillies"!!!
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