Warner Bros. are "Masters of the Universe"

[J_UNTITLED]

From Variety...

Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver have set "Kung Fu Panda" co-director John Stevenson to make his live-action directing debut on "Masters of the Universe," a reimagining of the signature Mattel toy line.

Pic will revolve around He-Man, a prince who transforms into a warrior and becomes the last hope for a magical land being ravaged by the evil Skeletor.

Silver is producing through his Silver Pictures banner. Mattel's Barry Waldo will be exec 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 was adapted into the 1980s cartoon series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe."

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 began as toy lines that became hit animated series.

Waldo said 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 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." He began his career working for Jim Henson on projects that included "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth."

[swingle007]

wow, wonder who will play he-man this time? brock lesnar perhaps?

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by swingle007

wow, wonder who will play he-man this time? brock lesnar perhaps?

Bite. Your. Tongue.

Logan

[fighthefutureofhd]

carson kressley perhaps. or jeff stryker. in all serious i really hope this one is better than the first movie they made. i don't really know how well this can translate to the big screen in a live setting though.

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

carson kressley perhaps. or jeff stryker. in all serious i really hope this one is better than the first movie they made. i don't really know how well this can translate to the big screen in a live setting though.

That's easy.

Make it dark, like Legend. Similar setting, similar light vs dark motif. Stick a little closer to the basis material than what the original movie did.

Logan

[dgator783]

hopefully not Vin DIesel.....

BUt I would have liked to see a young Viggo Mortenson in the role...

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by swingle007

wow, wonder who will play he-man this time? brock lesnar perhaps?

John Cena or Dwayne Johnson...

[STARSCREAM]

Hope that fubar it like the original movie. . As a kid growing up my brother and I loved this show and had all the toys as well. They better do it right, if so it could be awesome. Alot of it is gonna hinge on who they pick to play he-man.

[kdn1221]

Would definitely like to see something that's have a nice blend of sci-fi, fantasy, action, and comiic book elements. Definitely not something like the first movie with Dolph Lundgren. Hopefully, they can come up with a good storyline.

[Penitus]

He-Man just isn't something that translates to live action well, because it is so goofy.

Hopefully this gets canceled and Hollywood quits raping my childhood.

[jono_0101]

i would love to see this, IF they do it right, this is a tough thing to take to live action, so they need to be careful it doesnt end up like the first one

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

This should be interesting with the new technology today.

I still reject to the remake of The Karate Kid though. Sorry to change the subject.