When it comes to development hell, very few properties are more rooted in that than the Masters of the Universe live-action movie. Well development hell no more, as the film is headed to Netflix, starring Kyle Allen (West Side Story) as the (He)Man himself.
The film, being directed by the Nee Brothers (The Lost City) is said to be eyeing a summer 2022 start date, with a screenplay written by the brothers and David Callaham (Shang-Chi).
Based on the toy line and animated series of the same name, Masters of the Universe centers on the battler between He-Man and Skeletor. The report over on THR describes the MoTU lore as “centering around an orphan named Adam, who discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land and must quickly learn of his power in order to save his home from the evil Skeletor.”
Based on that description it sounds like they’ll be blending some elements from Netflix’s other two He-Man properties currently on the streaming service: Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the CGI He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which has its second season debuting soon.
“Masters of the Universe is an iconic property that shaped the imaginations of an entire generation of kids with the message of becoming the best version of yourself. With our partners at Netflix, we look forward to showing audiences that anything can happen in Eternia. We are continuing to unlock this global franchise in new ways, and we can’t wait to see Kyle battle it out with Skeletor in this epic live-action saga,” said Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films.
Brenner and Kevin McKeon (VP of Mattel Films) will lead the project for Mattel Films. Black, Blumenthal, and Tisch (Being the Ricardos, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, The Equalizer, The Upside) and DeVon Franklin will produce.