Giles

you'd need to iron flat Eric Dane hair down though.

OwlAtHome

That would be awesome.

Artman

From Dark Horizons:

"The new version reimagines the property as Prince Adam (He-Man) being a solider who stumbles upon the magical world Eternia where the evil Skeletor is using a technology-fueled army to wipe out all traces of magic."

Uh... this isn't talking about mixing the real world with Eternia is it? Ya know, kinda like what the old movie tried to do...just set it in Eternia - the material needs no reimagining!

JMcCraw

That article said I used to play with dolls.

Dr. DVD

Do they plan to make Adam a Prince who goes into space or something? Sounds more like the old cartoon series BlackStar to me (which I also think could be done with 300 technology). Please, go the old route. Or better yet, leave the whole secret identity thing of Prince Adam out of it. Have He-Man be an ass-kicking warrior who rides home each night on a giant cat with intentions of nailing Teela. (Look, I remember the old books, and they typically consisted of He-Man and his allies fighting Skeletor and company, Teela having her hair knocked out of its bun at some point, and after defeating the bad guys she and He-Man would ride off together.)

C-Mart

This excites me far more than the He-Man news - but on the He-Man front, please don't mix real world and Eternia. As stated it simply does not need it.

Anyone remember the Orco look-a-likes from one of the Final Fantasy games?

Yavin

Yeah, I've had enough with movies that take a fantasy-type property an adapt it to film by mixing it with the real world, as some attempt to rationalize or connect us with the fantasy world.

The success of the Lord of the Rings films should have shown studios that the mixing of real and fantasy worlds is no longer necessary. But I guess studios are still going by the template of films such as Princess Bride, Neverending Story, and other 80's films. Of course, the connection between the real and fantasy worlds in those films didn't feel tacked on, I guess. But a property like He-Man, where the original source material was set completely in a fantasy world, is far better off without the mixing of the two.

zooiiks

STARRING



AS

Snowmaker

To make the movie really authentic, they should have all male characters wearing the exact same style shorts and belt.

Dr. DVD

I don't know if telling a minister in this day and age would help...

devilshalo

WB, Joel Silver shaping He-Man film
John Stevenson to direct live action 'Masters'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver set "Kung Fu Panda" co-director John Stevenson to make his live action directing debut on "Masters of the Universe," a re-imagining of the signature Mattel toy line.

He-Man is a brawny prince who transforms into a warrior who becomes the last hope for a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.

Silver is producing through his Silver Pictures banner. Mattel's Barry Waldo will be executive producer.

WB acquired the property in 2007, and Justin Marks wrote the first draft of the script based on a story he developed with Neil Ellice. .

The Mattel property became iconic by way of the 1980s cartoon series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," and the property was previously turned into a campy flop by Cannon Films in 1987, with Dolph Lungdren as He-Man and "Frost/Nixon" star Frank Langella as the villainous Skeletor.

The film project is a big priority for Mattel, which licenses a high-end line of He-Man toys that are popular with hardcore collectors. Hollywood has become a magnet for branded toy-line properties, as DreamWorks and Paramount ready a June 26 release for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and Paramount preps for an Aug. 7 release on "G.I. Joe," both of which began as toy lines that became hit animated series.

Stevenson said the first film came to mind when he was asked to consider the job, and the impression wasn't a good one. He changed his mind when he went to Mattel headquarters and was shown into a secret lair that contained the visuals created by the toymaker staff.

"There was this locked bunker that you had to be escorted into," Stevenson said. "It was filled with art, some generated by the Mattel artists, and I looked around, and said, 'I get it.' We started formulating a specific vision for costumes, creatures, architecture, and the creation of a mythology and look for a whole world we'll create."

Waldo said that Stevenson's vision to elevate the material matched with Mattel's desire to see He-Man become a big studio film. Mattel has also brought its "Hot Wheels" film to WB and Silver.

"John had such passion that we found ourselves trying to running to catch up with his vision," Waldo said.

Stevenson has also worked on "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," "Madagascar," and "James and the Giant Peach," and began his career working for Jim Henson on projects that included "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth."

CAA reps Stevenson and Mattel.

fujishig

Unlike Transformers and GI Joe, however, there's no He-man line on store shelves (Mattel is selling a limited collector's-only classic line, but only online). The last He-man line and cartoon didn't do so well (despite both being pretty good). I'm surprised they'd do a movie now.

As far as tying fantasy worlds down to Earth... I always thought they did that due to budget limitations... not sure with modern technology and bigger budgets, if that would be needed. And wasn't Adam's father originally from Earth or something anyway?

Mr. Cinema

I want to see these two in it...

devilshalo

Artman

This news made my day (along with Stallone's intention to do a fifth Rambo). I don't care who directs it... a co-director of an animated film I really liked sounds fine to me. I just want a He-Man film!

Sonic

Awesome news they making a remake of He-Man! But please don't use the same costume as the cartoon! Otherwise it would go something like this..."By the power of Gayskull! I ammmm a flowerrrrrrrr!"

dx23

Actually his mother, the Queen, was from Earth.

Ms. M

I'm glad this project has made a comeback, as I was a fan of the show and still think the fantasy/action elements could work well. I've heard the script is pretty good (faithful but somewhat adult), which is encouraging.

Don't fear, Sonic, I'm positive the costumes will be altered. Although you could have a whole other thread on why the pantless look in men, which was once common in popular culture into the late 80s at least, is now so frowned upon.

lopper

I'll wait until filming has begun before I get too excited, but a kick ass MOTU movie could be cool.

mndtrp

My first He-Man character, so I'd get a kick out of seeing him in it.

devilshalo

Warner Bros. out of 'He-Man's' world
Studio had been developing pic with Joel Silver
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and Mattel will be parting company on "Masters of the Universe," the live-action reinvention of the signature Mattel toy line that WB and producer Joel Silver have been developing since 2007.

Mattel and WB didn't see eye to eye over the direction of the project and made a mutual decision to let the option lapse this month. Story revolves around He-Man, a prince who becomes a warrior battling the evil Skeletor for control of his magical homeland.

Mattel will take back the property and set it up elsewhere. The expectation is that director John Stevenson ("Kung Fu Panda") will remain with the project, but not Silver, who is exclusive to WB.

As Disney's Marvel Entertainment acquisition and WB's overhaul of DC Comics and its movie output shows, branded properties are important commodities. The owners of those brands now have more direct involvement -- and higher expectations.

The situation is reminiscent of Paradox Entertainment's decision several years ago to decline an option renewal on the Robert E. Howard "Conan the Barbarian" franchise, after WB made numerous attempts to reinvent the franchise with major filmmakers. Paradox aligned with Avi Lerner's Millennium Films, with Marcus Nispel directing. That deal has strict progress-to-production stipulations.

Mattel, which still has "Hot Wheels" with WB and Silver Pictures, has become proactive in setting properties for films since aligning with CAA. Among the deals: one for Universal and Playtone to turn "Major Matt Mason" into a star vehicle for Tom Hanks, one with Paramount for "Max Steel" and one with Universal deal for a live-action musical to be based on a new toy line that aspires to add a fresh twist to monster lore, with "Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Original Desmond

a shame but cmon hollywood has to get more original

devilshalo

April 11, 2010
'Masters of the Universe' screenwriters hired

Mike Finch and Alex Litvak, the duo who wrote the upcoming "Predators" reboot, have been brought aboard to pen "Masters of the Universe" for Columbia.

The studio picked up movie rights to the 1980s Mattel toy property in the fall, when Mattel and Warner Bros. parted ways after the sides couldn't agree on a creative vision.

The addition of the rising writers is the first major move on the property and signals the project is being rebuilt from the ground up. While at Warners, "Masters" went through several writers and in latter stages had John Stevenson, who co-helmed "Kung Fu Panda," attached to direct.

Getting the go-ahead to tackle any major toy-brand film can be tricky. Depending on the property, writers and directors need to get a thumbs-up from the studio, which then has to win approval from the toy company. In the case of "Masters," Mattel has story approval.

In their pitch, the scribes attempted to balance a treatment that would convince the studio it was cinematic and keep the toy company satisfied that its characters were being portrayed appropriately.

The '80s show, "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," centered on blond warrior Prince Adam, who, after uttering the magic words "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power," turned into the heroic He-Man. He and his allies -- Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko -- defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who week after week attempted to conquer the fortress Castle Grayskull, which imbues He-Man with his powers.

Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch of Escape Artists are producing.

The Verve-repped Finch and Litvak made a splash last year with "Medieval," which jolted the spec market when it sold to New Regency for big bucks. That script scored the duo the coveted gig of writing the Robert Rodriguez-produced "Predators," helping the long-in-development sequel go from script to screen in just more than a year.

"Predators" opens July 9.

Quack

RocShemp

So they're not gonna use this script?