Co-writers/directors Adam and Aaron Nee share new details regarding the Masters of the Universe movie's Eternia and their indie approach. Development on a new film adaptation of the iconic Mattel toyline has languished for nearly 20 years now following the critical and commercial failure of the Dolph Lundgren-starring effort. The new Masters of the Universe film has seen a number of directors enter talks or being rumored to be attached to it, including John Woo, John Stevenson, Jon M. Chu, McG and David S. Goyer, though none would move forward.
The Masters of the Universe movie would finally start gaining ground in 2018 when future The Lost City duo Adam and Aaron Nee signed on to direct with a new script from Uncharted duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway and To All the Boys star Noah Centineo leading the cast as He-Man. The film would once again see some hiccups as it went into further rewrites and Centineo departed the project in early 2021, but recently recovered as Netflix picked up the project with The Path's Kyle Allen now starring as the iconic hero and the Nee Brothers co-writing a new draft with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' David Callaham. With things back on track for the new Masters of the Universe, the creatives behind the film are offering exciting new insight for the long-awaited reboot.
In anticipation of the film's home media release, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with directors Aaron and Adam Nee to discuss The Lost City. When looking to the future and their Masters of the Universe movie, the duo confirmed filming would begin by Spring 2023 and shared new details regarding their indie approach to the He-Man project and developing the world of Eternia for live-action. See what Aaron Nee shared below:
"It's so important to us that we don't shortchange this material. This is a huge movie, but it feels like it's our baby. It feels like we've got the the kind of closeness and affection that we would have for an indie project. It's so important to us that we get to take the audience to Eternia in a way where it feels like a rich, well-developed real place, like you are going to a real world and experiencing a real culture. Then also just having the kind of attention to detail for the adventure elements and all of those things and the costuming and the build time for all of those things, nothing is rushed, it's [being] done right."
The Nee Brothers' tease of taking an indie approach to bringing Masters of the Universe to life on film is sure to be an enticing note for fans of the franchise and recent moviegoers alike. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has notably taken a number of primarily indie filmmakers and given them the reins to develop some of their more in-depth worlds however they please, some of the most popular including Taika Waititi with Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, Ryan Coogler with Black Panther and Destin Daniel Cretton with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The decision to take an indie approach to Masters of the Universe does point towards the Nee Brothers' hopes of creating a "well-developed real place" becoming a reality.
While some are sure to still be skeptical of the new Masters of the Universe movie after the divisive Lundgren film, the Nee Brothers are certainly looking to help keep anticipation alive for the long-gestating reboot. The duo have previously assured that the film will be faithful to the fan-favorite '80s He-Man series and praised Allen as the perfect embodiment of the young hero in his origin story. Only time will tell what audiences can expect from the new Masters of the Universe movie when it finally enters production next spring.