New reports suggest that filming for Masters of the Universe is set to begin in July of this year. The Sony film has been in talks for years, with several directors and writers rumored to be leading the project. Most recently, Iron Man and Men in Black: International writers Matt Holloway and Art Marc were said to be taking over the screenplay, and the Nee Brothers were reported to be directing last spring. The film was previously expected to start filming in the spring of last year and hit theaters in December 2019. It's now likely that the pushback on production will result in a longer wait until the theatrical release.Proliferated from a popular Mattel toy line in the 1980s, He-Man, aka Prince Adam of Eternia became a pop culture icon chiefly due to the cartoon adaptation: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. A child-friendly action-adventure series stylistically similar to Conan The Barbarian, the show remains a classic today with nostalgic memes, GIFs and recuts paying tribute to He-Man and his ever-quotable arch-nemesis, Skeletor. The more adult-oriented 1987 film adaptation wasn't well received due to the campy design and poor production value making it difficult to take seriously, compared to other action movies of time like RoboCop and The Terminator.Related: Masters of the Universe Character BreakdownsAccording to Production Weekly, the picture is set to start shooting in mid-July. The Nee Brothers are confirmed to be directing as planned, and the movie will be shot in Prague. Check out the tweet below:[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/prodweek/status/1095110311290519552[/EMBED_TWITTER]Some clues about the premise were dropped last year, including that possibility that He-Man and Skeletor would be re-written as brothers, rather than a nephew and uncle. However, the plot is still under wraps, considering the reported rewrites. At one point, Twilight's Kellan Lutz was in talks for the lead role when McG was rumored to be directing, but at this point, the principal cast is still unconfirmedWith Sony already focusing on rebooting their prior box office successes, the risk of failure to meet audience expectations for a franchise as renowned as He-Man poses a risk. The lukewarm box office reception to the 2017 Power Rangers movie, for example, was widely attributed to a lack of innovation to the original story, and overuse of modern-day superhero flick tropes. Netflix's reboot of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (originally He-Man's sister) on the other hand reinvigorated Eternia mythology by giving Princess Adora, her allies, and her enemies, new personal conflicts, prejudices, and character dimensions to work through.Bringing together action movie figures Matt Holloway and Art Marc, and indie-focused directors The Nee Brothers may well result in a gripping, sharply written and beautifully shot final product. Hopefully, more news about the project will arrive sooner rather than later.

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Source: Production Weekly