He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

[MacGuffin]

Silver, WB eyeing rights to live-action 'Masters'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Warner Bros. Pictures and Joel Silver are trying to get the power of Grayskull.

The studio and producer are in negotiations with toy company Mattel to acquire the rights to one of the most popular cartoons of the 1980s, "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," with plans to bring a live-action version to the big screen.

Justin Marks has been brought on board to pen the adaptation, which will be called "Masters of the Universe," after the name of the Mattel toy line on which the Filmation-produced cartoon was based.

The parties are deep in the back and forth, with a deal potentially months away, according to sources.

The cartoon was known for the image of blond-haired Prince Adam on top of a mountain uttering the magic words, "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power," and turning into the heroic He-Man. He-Man and his allies -- Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko -- defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who tried week after week to conquer a fortress known as Castle Grayskull, which imbued He-Man with his powers.

The show spawned the spinoff series, "She-Ra: Princess of Power," which followed the adventures of He-Man's sister.

The new take on "Masters" skews more toward gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon magical world called Eternia. There, a being called Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating all traces of magic.

"Masters" made its way to the big screen in 1987 in a science fiction/fantasy film from Cannon Film, also titled "Masters of the Universe," which starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor and featured a young Courteney Cox. The property has since been mired in rights issues; at one point, a version called "He-Man" was set up at Fox 2000, with John Woo attached to direct.

Neil Ellice will co-produce "Masters."

Silver Pictures exec Navid McIlhargey brought the project in and will be involved in a producer capacity.

Marks, repped by WMA, wrote "Voltron: Defender of the Universe," based on the 1980s cartoon, as well as Warners' "Super Max," centering on DC Comics superhero Green Arrow.

[Kal]

They've been talking about this for years... I think John Woo was going to do this before... I hope they do it. I loved the show when I was a kid, and if they find a way to do this better than their first attempt, it could be good.

[Pubrick]

I think John Woo was going to do this before...

yep, that's what the article said..

at one point, a version called "He-Man" was set up at Fox 2000, with John Woo attached to direct.

it's fun to actually read these articles sometimes. more of you should try it.

[Kal]

I missed that part

[MacGuffin]

WB, Joel Silver shaping He-Man film
John Stevenson to direct live action 'Masters'
Source: 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."

[MacGuffin]

No He-Man for WB, Mattel
By: Mike Fleming; Variety

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. The film revolves around He-Man, a prince who becomes a warrior who battles 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 stay, 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 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 re-invent 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 pro-active in setting properties for films since aligning with CAA. Among them is a Universal/Playtone deal to turn "Major Matt Mason" into a star vehicle for Tom Hanks, a deal with Paramount for "Max Steel" and a 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.

[Gold Trumpet]

They should just make this a comedy and play up the original homo-eroticism in the cartoon.

[MacGuffin]

He-Man finds new home at Sony
Studio finalizing deal for bigscreen adaptation
Source: Variety

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe have found a new home at Sony.

The studio is finalizing a deal to produce a bigscreen adaptation of the popular action figure line from toymaker Mattel with Escape Artists shepherding the project.

The property had previously been set up at Warner Bros., where Joel Silver was developing a pic since 2007. Mattel wound up taking back the rights and leaving the lot after Mattel, the studio and Silver couldn't agree on the creative direction of the film.

Sony and Escape Artists' Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will now start developing the project from scratch for Columbia Pictures, sources close to the negotiations said.

Shingle recently produced Columbia's remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123," "Knowing" at Summit, and previously produced the Will Smith dramas "Seven Pounds" and "The Pursuit of Happyness."

The fantasy actioner will revolve around a prince who becomes the warrior He-Man and battles the evil Skeletor for control of his magical homeland, Eternia.

John Stevenson ("Kung Fu Panda") had previously been attached to direct, with Justin Marks and Evan Daugherty having penned versions of the script. Rights to those scripts now belong to WB, meaning a new writer will likely be hired.

Mattel still has "Hot Wheels" at Warner Bros. with Silver Pictures producing, as well as "Major Matt Mason," at Universal, that Tom Hanks will headline; "Max Steel" at Paramount; and a live-action musical to be based on a new toy line built around a monster, that's also set up at U with "Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

[The Perineum Falcon]

"Hot Wheels"?!?!