Masters of the Universe

By the power of Greyskull, I have the POWER! If you ever bellowed those words in the mirror while holding a cardboard tube aloft like a sword shortly after giving yourself a DIY bowl-cut, you were probably a fan of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. That, or a kid with extremely weird hobbies. Either way, the series of comics, cartoons and collectibles remains a cherished part of ’80s nostalgia, and as we have learned time and again over the past few years, no corner of Generation X’s childhood is safe from the plunderers at the major movie studios.

With nearly every Saturday morning cartoon or popular line of toys from the ’80s finding their way to a theater near you, the ones that haven’t quite yet made the leap to the big screen are starting to stand out. Take Masters of the Universe. Our own coverage of the film dates all the way back to 2012, but in that time, Sony has barely made progress on big-screen reboot.

If you did not know that Sony Pictures is working towards the production of a brand new He-Man movie, then you obviously are not one of the 462 supporters of the Change.org petition to have a new Masters of the Universe movie be put into production. The petition also (very helpfully) provides a suggested release date of 2017 or 2018, though I’m sure that the audience would gladly push that back for the right story.

You have to admit, for a character with perhaps the most unoriginal name in the history of fiction, He-Man has had some real staying power. Invented in the early 1980s by toy manufacturer Mattel, He-Man (and his Masters of the Universe) launched as a line of toys, and an accompanying television show designed to entertain kids on Saturday mornings (and also to sell said line of toys)...

It’s been a while since we had an update on Sony’s Masters of the Universe reboot / revival / whatever. Last we heard, Kick-Ass 2 writer / director Jeff Wadlow had completed a script, while G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu departed the project. While the film is still in development without a director, Sony has brought on Thor: Ragnarok scribe Christopher Yost to rewrite the screenplay.

It’s been some time since we’ve gotten an update on the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie, which ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ director Jon M. Chu was once attached to direct. Earlier this year, Columbia Pictures brought ‘Kick-Ass 2' director Jeff Wadlow in to rewrite the script and possibly even direct the film. Just three days into the new year, Columbia has revealed that Wadlow’s script is complete, putting us one step closer to a new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie.

Sony recently admitted they need franchises as they're plotting to pump out a new 'Spider-Man' movie every year. It seems another possible franchise for the studio is a big screen adaptation of 'Masters of the Universe,' and now that Jon M. Chu is off the project, they've narrowed their list to three filmmakers who could bring us the adventures of Prince Adam and his alter ego He-Man.

News hit last summer that Jon M. Chu had been chosen to take on the reboot of 'Masters of the Universe,' which previously had been made into a rather terrible movie in 1987 starring Dolph Lungren. But though the project is still in development, Chu (best known for 'Step Up 3D' and 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation') is off the film, and a new writer has been brought on.

How exactly do you make a 'Masters of the Universe' movie? How do you take a franchise where the main character is named He-Man (He-Man!) and make a movie that audiences will actually take seriously enough to give it the time of day? That's the big challenge for director Jon M. Chu, who is knee-deep in developing the project following the success of his 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' but who says he is &

When his last film was delayed for nine months so it can be post-converted to 3D, and it's made public that the movie has huge problems, you wouldn't expect Jon M. Chu to work again anytime soon after the headaches of 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation.' But it looks like Sony has him in talks to bring 'Masters of the Universe' back to the big screen.