“Masters of the Universe” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Despite years in development hell, Sony Pictures is still keen on bringing Masters of the Universe (aka He-Man) back to the big screen. In fact, they already have a release date in mind: December 18, 2019.
The latest news (via EW) is that the film has lost McG (Terminator Salvation) as its director, but has gained a screenwriter in David S. Goyer (Batman Begins). The same source adds that the studio is actively looking for McG’s replacement.
Other filmmakers previously attached to helm include Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid remake), Chris McKay (Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III) and Mike Cahill (I Origins).
Terry Rossio (The Lone Ranger), Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2), Alex Litvak (Predators) and Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) all worked on early screenplays for Masters of the Universe.
There are currently no stars officially attached to the role of He-Man, but names like Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Heughan, Charlie Hunnam, Terry Crews and Jason Momoa have been favorites in online discussions.
The live-action Masters of the Universe isn’t the only He-Man-related project in the works. The makers of Turtle Power and Nintendo Quest have teamed together for a documentary titled Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, with the help of fans (click here to watch their impressive teaser trailer).
The He-Man franchise – consisting of the Mattel toy line and the cartoon series – exploded in the 1980’s. Despite its decreasing popularity during the years that followed, cartoon reboots and new toy lines managed to keep the franchise afloat.
Back in 1987, Cannon Films produced Masters of the Universe, a live-action film directed by Gary Goddard (Poseidon’s Fury: Escape from the Lost City) which starred Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox and Meg Foster.
We’ll keep updated on Masters of the Universe as we learn more.
