Screen Rant » masters of the universe

He-Man and Machete Land At Sony

Ross Miller — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:23:28 +0000

Wow, Sony has been busy as of late – they have acquired two fairly “hot” projects, the new live-action He-Man/Masters of the Universe movie, as well as the Robert Rodriguez faux-trailer-turned-full-length-feature, Machete.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

It’s only been a couple of weeks since Screen Rant reported that the live-action Masters of the Universe had left Warner Bros. and shed producer Joel Silver. The reason for this was reportedly because of a disagreement between WB/Silver and toy makers Mattel, about the direction the film was going in.

However, fear not He-Man fans, as Variety is reporting that Sony is in the final stages of making a deal to produce the new Masters of the Universe, with Escape Artists shepherding the project. Sources close to the negotiations say that both Sony and Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will soon start developing the project for Columbia Pictures (which Sony owns).

Kung Fu Panda director, John Stevenson, was previously attached to direct, but there’s no word if he’ll follow He-Man to Sony. Two separate versions of a script have previously been written by Justin Marks and Evan Daugherty, but it appears a new writer will be hired now that the project is at Sony, since those two scripts belong to WB (I predicted the change in writer, FYI, even if I got the reasoning wrong ).

I can’t really say that I’m either excited or disappointed by Sony landing Masters of the Universe – they’re as good as the next studio, I suppose. But I am very glad the project has found a new home, because I’m looking forward to a new, hopefully more bad-ass, He-Man movie (the Dolph Lundgren one is fun but…). Here’s hoping it’s smooth sailing from now on for the project.

MACHETE

Robert Rodriguez’s Machete (co-directed by his long-time collaborator, Ethan Maniquis, FYI) is a film that’s been on my most anticipated list ever since I saw the faux trailer in Grindhouse and, of course, heard that it (along with Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving) was getting the full-length treatment. Thankfully, we’re now one step closer to seeing it on our screens…international screens, that is.

Sony has acquired most international rights to Machete, which is currently in production in Austin, Texas, with cast Danny Trejo, Rose McGowan, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Cheech Marin and Michelle Rodriguez. There’s curiously no word on domestic (U.S.) distribution, although I’d be very surprised if we didn’t hear word on that soon.

In case you don’t know, the story of Machete centers around a Mexican “police officer” who gets revenge (in all sorts of violent ways) against the villains who double-crossed him. In my opinion, along with Roth’s aforementioned Thanksgiving, it was the only one of the Grindhouse faux trailers (the others included Edgar Wright’s Don’t and Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women of the S.S.) that could have been extended into a full length feature film. Word from an early script review from Latino Review says that Machete is exactly what you’d expect it to be – basically a 90 minute version of the trailer. That means more blood, more violence, and more machetes…

I’m there!

What do you think about Masters of the Universe and Machete both landing at Sony? Which direction should the new He-Man movie go? Are you looking forward to a full-length version of Machete or is the trailer enough for you?

Neither Masters of the Universe or Machete have release dates set as of yet, although for the latter I don’t expect it to be that long before we hear word (we’ll keep you posted).

Sources: THR and Variety

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He-Man Leaves Warner Bros.

Ross Miller — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:13:48 +0000

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?

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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Masters Of The Universe Movie Gets New Writer

Ross Miller — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:52:40 +0000

A new live-action movie of Masters of the Universe (this time entitled Grayskull) has been in the works for a long time now. The ’80s version with Dolph Lundgren, although still technically a version of it, didn’t really have much to do with the toy line of which Masters of the Universe was first created. Fans of the Mattel toy line from the early ’80s sure have been yearning for a proper, non-cheesy He-Man movie for decades now.

The last we heard on the production side of things was that Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson is attached to direct (which is still true) and that Justin Sparks has written a screenplay which was labeled by fellow Screen Rant writer Niall Browne as “awesome.” However, we learn today that Sparks’ screenplay in all likelihood won’t be the one used as Evan Daugherty has been brought on-board to pen a new one.

So who is Daugherty? Well, chances are you will not have heard of him since beyond an unproduced screenplay called Shrapnel (which he wrote to earn an NYU grant), he hasn’t written anything. The script did make it’s way onto the Hollywood “Black List,” but nothing has come of it as of yet.

The He-Man movie is quite the gig for him, then!

As for the direction that Warner Bros. is hoping to go in, they see “the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic.”

The original ’80s Dolph Lundgren movie is probably one of the first I can ever remember watching, and it’s one I will watch anytime it pops on TV. However, it appears that WB is intending on going an entirely different, “grittier” direction with the character and I say that’s the way they have to go. The cheesy nature of the ’80s version is part of its appeal… but that just wouldn’t work nowadays.

It’s of the same nature as a lot of ’80s movies that sit firmly in many-a-movie-fan’s fond memories. With this new He-Man specifically, the cheesy nature was fine in the ’80s… but it wouldn’t be now. Not if they want to make a straight non-comedic He-Man movie.

I’m pretty sure fans of the character don’t want in to be placed in the “comedy” section of the rental store…

So who could play the legendary He-Man? Well, it’s the same dilemma as with other characters like Thor and Conan the Barbarian – just where do you get the perfect muscle-men to play these guys? I’m not sure… how ’bout Lundgren again, just for kicks…. no?

What do you think of an unknown and relatively inexperienced writer like Daugherty writing Grayskull? Who would you like to see play He-Man?

Source: THR

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Kung-Fu Panda Director to Helm He-Man Movie?

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:41:13 +0000

Our friends over at Latino Review recently got word that the director of one of my favorite films of 2008, the phenomenal (and seriously underrated) Kung-Fu Panda has been tapped to helm another action epic for the younger sect: A remake of 80’s cartoon hit, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

With all the talk in recent months about which directors are going to be handling which upcoming comic/cartoon films (Captain America being the latest buzz headliner), I have to say this bit of news has me the most excited. After all I loved He-Man as a kid, and I loved Kung-Fu Panda like I was still a kid. I see Panda’s director, John Stevenson, doing great things with He-Man, if he can get it into theaters before it ends up D.O.A., again.

However, it looks as though the film is moving forward. Stevenson was seen leaving the offices of Matrix producer Joel Silver, who has been trying to get Masters Of the Universe off the ground for some time now. Word is that Silver and Co. were very impressed with Stevenson’s take on the He-Man legend, enough so to take another crack at the stalled film.

However, Stevenson’s film background is in animation and art department design, which raises some immediate questions:

Will the film still be called Grayskull?

Will the film still adhere to the Grayskull script that polarized so many critics around the blogosphere earlier this year?

Will He-Man still be a live-action adaptation? Or is Stevenson being brought on board to helm a CGI version of the film?

Personally, I’m hoping the latter is true. Having basked in the light of Kung-Fu Panda twice now (once in theaters, once in its full Blu-Ray glory), I know that Stevenson would deliver a CGI He-Man flick that would knock the socks of old and young viewers alike. I just hope Silver is keen enough to realize that his best chance for a big payday lies in CGI animation. No walking that live-action/CGI middle line that caused Speed Racer to bomb so hard.

What about you? Do you think Stevenson should try to go the CGI route with Masters of the Universe? Or should he try his luck in the ring of live-action? Let’s talk about it!

Source: Latino Review

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Call Skeletor: The He-Man Movie Is Dead

Heath McKnight — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:32:39 +0000

It looks like Warner Bros.’ and Joel Silver’s big-screen adaptation of Grayskull (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, once brought to screen in the 1980s with Dolph Lundgren) is dead, and it looks like several people are at fault.

But none of them are Skeletor.

First up is producer Silver, who is probably one of the most prolific action film producers ever. His film resume includes Die Hard and Die Harder, the Lethal Weapon films, The Matrix trilogy, and more. Unfortunately, his relationship with WB soured this year when (among other things), Speed Racer bombed BIG time. Also, it looks like Lethal Weapon 5 died when he snubbed long-time director Richard Donner to return to helm the film, and Mad Mel Gibson dropped out due to the exclusion of Donner from the project.

Next, it sounds like the script by Justin Marks was pretty awful (although Latino Review liked it). And on top of that, big-time directors turned the film down – including Bryan Singer. And finally, the exec who was shepherding the film, Navid McIlhargey? He left for a sweet position at another company, New Regency. Without a big-time cheerleader like that behind a movie, it’s DOA.

So it looks like we aren’t getting He-Man on the big screen anytime soon.

Source: Latino Review

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He-Man / Masters Of The Universe Script Is Awesome?

Niall Browne — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:27:08 +0000

I’m a child of the 1980’s – growing up in that decade was a treat. It was the last great time of innocence. There wasn’t an Internet, there wasn’t CGI, movies weren’t aimed at the lowest IQ, and television was great. Children’s television was really great and we weren’t too distracted by video games!

He-Man was one of the great cartoons. Legend has it that Mattel toys had planned to make a toy line based on the Conan The Barbarian movie, but when the film turned out to be violent and kid-unfriendly, they decided to scrap the idea, and instead they used the molds to create He-Man. I’m not sure how true this rumor is, but it’s a damn cool one.

Dolph Lundgren starred in a cheesy 1980’s Masters Of The Universe movie that had little or no relation to the epic cartoon or toy line.

A He-Man film has been in development for years… it is one of the properties that refuses to go away. And now according to Latino Review a script has been handed in to Warner Bros and Silver Pictures by screenwriter Justin Marks that is “‘Lord of the Rings’ meets ‘The Matrix’ and a little ‘Batman Begins’ thrown in for good measure.”

That could be hyperbole, but it could also be pitch for a really good sci-fi / fantasy epic.

The script deals with the back story of Eternia (He-Man aka Prince Adam’s home planet). It shows us how Skeletor attained his legendary good looks, how Prince Adam becomes the muscle bound He-Man, and more importantly how The Power Sword was created.

There’s no mention of the infamous line “By the power of Grayskull!” but I’m pretty sure that it will be uttered at some point in the film.

The review of the 112 page script by El Mayimbe is passionate and from a fan’s perspective – and although I haven’t seen an episode of He-Man in almost twenty years (yes, I’m that old) it has me quite excited.

It sounds like this could give the new Conan movie a run for its money, and it will be interesting to see which makes it into production first.

File this movie under “One to watch.”

I’ll let you know if there are any developments, and in the meantime head over to Latino Review for the full, er, review.

“I have the power!!”

Source: Latino Review

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He-Man On Earth? Again? Really? Oh, How Creative…

Kane — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:38:20 +0000

Okay, so I’m just another bandwagon-jumper, right? Just another ’80s geek getting my panties in a twist over a film that’s yet to start production? Well, yeah… but, hey, I’ve seen this kind of stuff get screwed up by the idiots in Hollywood enough to know there’s probably a lot of truth behind the rumor.

Oh, you’re the one that didn’t hear about this yet?

Yeah… once again, the suits have somehow managed to convince the creators that films can only work if set on planet Earth. Forget that the fantasy worlds of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings – two of the most successful franchises in motion picture history – have zero or little reference to our fair planet whatsoever. Forget that good storytelling is born of great characters, not where they live. Forget all that… because some bright spark knows better. Masters of the Universe is set to take place on Earth once again.

Following the huge success of this year’s Transformers, the floodgates have opened – as predicted – for a variety of ’80s toy- and cartoon-inspired films to appear over the coming years. G.I. Joe, Voltron and now Masters of the Universe are on the drawing board. And, as always, it seems the financial success of one film has led to a copycat mentality. In this case, it’s the idea that any film in this “genre” must follow the same Earth-based narrative – presumably so that we, as an audience, may be babied into relating to a central, wide-eyed human observer.

Is it not enough that – for all its success at the box office – Transformers was largely criticised for its weak plot? Is it not enough that the first cinematic outing of He-Man was a massive embarrassment? Masters of the Universe could well be a beautiful amalgamation of the alien worlds of Star Wars and Tolkien’s Middle Earth – a film to take the recent run of fantasy cinema in a new and unusual direction. It’s just going to take a little creativity and a mind open to the potentially extraordinary world of Eternia.

But an Eternia-on-Earth? Please. If you’re going to crap on the existing fanbase this badly, why not just go and create an unrelated film in the first place. Either way, you’ll be finding a new audience.

Source: IESB.net

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