News
He-Man Returning to the Big Screen
May 24, 2007
Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film, reports Variety. Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.
He-Man was born as a Mattel action figure, and the toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The series became a cult favorite, but the brand was hardly helped by its first big screen incarnation, the campy 1987 flop Masters of the Universe that starred Dolph Lundgren as the title character and Frank Langella as his nemesis Skeletor.
The franchise has been reimagined by the producer and the writers and pitched to Mattel as a classic good vs. evil battle, using the kind of visual effects strategy employed in 300. A warrior is touted as the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.
Many of the characters will be informed by the mythology created in the four different cartoon series done since the 1980s.
Related Articles From Other SitesPosted by: THETRUESPIDER-MAN on March 22, 2008 at 16:50:57
I can't believe no one has left a comment for this article! I guess a new movie would also flop huh? I think they should hire the guy that plays TITAN on "AMERICAN GLADIATOR". He would be perfect for he-man have you seen him?:
Posted by: Juicy Fruit on March 22, 2008 at 18:45:51
damn no one cares about He-Man?
Posted by: Drew217 on March 22, 2008 at 20:22:13
Joel Silver!? Oh, don't like the sounds of that. He's gonna replace He-man's sword with a gun and make the final battle be in a ring of mysertious fire! Oh this is gonna suck!!
Posted by: Amarillo Black on March 22, 2008 at 20:35:05
Titan would be great. Dolf was perfect and Langella was perfect also, the writing could've used some work. But for the 80s, it was dead on!
Titan?! What am I saying, how could I forget about Paul Levesque?! THE GAME! TRIPLE H!!!! HE HAS THE POWAAAAAAAAH!!!
Posted by: Amarillo Black on March 22, 2008 at 20:38:48
Joel Silver produced some classics, don't count him out just yet. He or Terra Rizin...the original Blue Blood...THE GAME...TRIPLE.......H! *rocks out to Motorhead* I SEE THE LINE IN THE SAND!
Posted by: The Flash on March 22, 2008 at 23:19:27
I have the power. Finally they have remade this movie, the first one was wack but if they make this movie anything like 300 it will probally be one of my favorite movies of all time.
Posted by: RJ on March 23, 2008 at 01:01:38
Awesome! If done right, this could be amazing! I hope it's done like 300, like they say. I'd like to see them do a new Conan movie like that, too. Something that takes itself seriously.
Posted by: Eric on May 4, 2008 at 10:31:47
If they make this movie with the same moody appearance and mystery that we saw in the first four mini comics (King of Castle Grayskull, Battle in the Clouds, He-Man and the Power Sword, and Vengence of Skeletor) released with the first figures in the early 80's and apply "300" visual effects to the film, this movie will be amazing. This is a long time coming, I have been waiting for this since the end of the Dolph Lundgren movie. I really hope they get rid of the "Prince Adam" thing and faithfully execute the original vision of He-Man (a jungle warrior) who saves a sorceress in distress from a shadow beast and is then rewarded by her with the weapons of the elders which empower him to protect Grayskull. I would also like to see the spirit of Castle Grayskull as seen in the mini-comics. If done right, this will be a movie for guys who like movies, not just a movie for He-Man fans.
Posted by: MedicalMogul on May 4, 2008 at 17:04:30
I have to agree with the majority who say that this will be an incredible film if done right! I'm not too sure on who I would fantasy cast in the title role, but obvious choices of consideration have already been noted on here.
For those that disliked the first film in the 80s, bare in mind that for its era, it pretty much fit the bill and worked. Granted, in hindsight, with the technology now available in Hollywood, it is considered a joke. But true to its time all the same.
I agree with many of the points made by Eric as far as the foundation for a storyline and principle elements.
Non-believers...have faith in Joel Silver. He is not a stupid man by any means! And for those that are worried about his direction for the film, remember...he is the PRODUCER; not the director. Ultimately it will be up to the studio & I would expect Mattel as far as who will be at the helm of this thing behind the camera.
BTW --- first TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE is currently shooting and now this news. Dare I hold my breath for THUNDERCATS?! ;-)
Posted by: Rotbart on June 4, 2008 at 08:36:43
It is a great idea, but I fear that they make the same mistakes they did in 1987. A MotU movie must include:
- Adam and He-Man being one and the same person
- Orko
- Teela not only being Man-at-Arms daughter but also the daughter of the Sorceress
- The Origin of Skeletor (Keldor)
- Parts of the Origin of the Sorceress
It was the absence of those things that made the first movie so weak.
Posted by: Trey Marc on June 4, 2008 at 11:27:13
I was a HUGE He-Man fan as a kid!!!!If they make this movie like the visual effects of 300 this movie will be BIG!!!!!!!! However, really happy they are remaking this movie...but may i suggest THUNDERCATS to be re-made and NOT entirely CGI...from rumors and reports i heard they are trying to make this movie all CGI...please do not waste your time this movie will FLOP BIGTIME is made in CGI...make it real life PEOPLE!!! DAMN YOU GUYS ARE HOLLYWOOD FOR GOD SAKES!!! Make some movie magic...Hey if Transformers, IronMan, Spiderman, Superman Returns & even Batman all pulled it off with Real-life characters please Please PLEASE!!! make Thundercats with Real Life PEOPLE!!!
Posted by: Steven The Comic Book Artist ! on June 4, 2008 at 11:35:07
BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!
I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAN, I'VE WANTED A NEW HE-MAN FLICK FOR SEEMINGLY EONS!
CANNOT WAIT!!!
FOR A COOL LOOKING MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE FAN TRAILER, GO TO YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN "MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE FAN TRAILER"...YES, "MASTER".
THIS GUY DID IT USING CLIPS OF VARIOUS FLICKS LIKE THE CHRONICALS OF RID****, JUDGE DREDD AND OTHERS, AS WELL AS THE VOICE OF DOLPH LUNDGREN SHOUTING "I HAVE THE POWER!!!"
PRETTY SWEET!!!
---Later!
Posted by: Not Always Impressed on June 4, 2008 at 12:31:08
Well, I'll admitt I am not a He-man fan, but I can agree with everyone in here, that if they do this movie right, then it will be a hit. I'll buy a ticket to see it if it looks promising.
Posted by: jerry on June 4, 2008 at 13:17:13
stick the basics of the tv series,and everything else will fall in line.Karl Urban would be a great choice to be he-man,he can act and he can swing a sword ,pathfinder was a very simple basic movie but he coudl bring that to the screen.who knows how orko or a talking green cat will look on screen,those are things that are ok to mess with a little.go with the newest cartoon and a story will be esy to come up with.
Posted by: he-man is so gay on June 4, 2008 at 14:16:06
they should have FISTO and ram-man in the film
Posted by: CHRIS on June 4, 2008 at 14:18:16
Listen, they posted the synopsis of Justin Marks and i read it and so far it is F**king Sick.
here it is: (by El Mayimbe)
GRAYSKULL is LORD OF THE RINGS meets THE MATRIX and a little BATMAN BEGINS thrown in for good measure.
The script takes place in Eternia, not a middle Earth on Earth. It’s a hard and edgy PG-13 tinkering on a R. The script has ZERO CAMP or CHEESINESS. NO ****ING ORKO EITHER! The writer takes the MOTU mythology very seriously. Whatever made the cartoon corny is not in here at all. In fact, there is not a single beat of comedic relief in the script.
What is GRAYSKULL about? We get both the origin of HE-MAN (or HE-MAN BEGINS), the origin of SKELETOR, and the origin of THE POWER SWORD. If Warners even remotely executes this script like they did 300 they will have a monster hit on their hands because this script leaves it open for a trilogy.
GRAYSKULL is the perfect marriage of Sorcery and Science fiction where in Eternia both Fantasy and Technology co-exist. The character arc of the hero ADAM works for me because like Bruce Wayne in BATMAN BEGINS, Adam has to overcome his selfish need for revenge and realize his destiny for the greater good of his people – the fallen son of Eternia must rise to occasion and become HE-MAN.
Ok, so let’s get right to it because I know you folks are here for the details.
Before the credits we get this kick ass opening prologue narrated by EVIL-LYN.
Four thousand years go in the workshop of Eternus we open on the powerful hands of a blacksmith forging steel from a raging fire. The hands raise the finished SWORD, an amazing mix of katana and high tech. It generates an OUTWARD LIGHT.
At the beginning of time, the blacksmith Eternus forged the Sword Of Light, a blade so beautiful that its spark created all life as we know it. After the blacksmith saw what perfection he’d built, he tried in vain to duplicate his mold. Eventually he fell into madness. Angered by his failure, he forged one last blade before he died. The mirror opposite of its original. The Sword of Darkness.
Instead of light, a dark void burns deep into the surface of this blade. Haunting and ominous.
We are next in an epic battlefield on Eternia.
Both blades, being born of magic gave amazing powers to anyone who held them. And so they were sought after.
On a hilltop plateau, a colossal army marches with enough feet to rattle the earth. Thousands of soldiers, all clad in high-tech battle gear. Think of something out of feudal Japan but poly-alloy and with a hint of alien texture.
Over thousands of years, the swords faced each other army times…
The leader of the army, a king we will come to know as GRAYSKULL (40s), stands at the front and raises the Sword of Light, which bathes his army in a majestic light. On the other of the battlefield: a different army emerges from the fog. Dark and intimidating. Monstrous, snarling BEASTS, augmented by a complex nano-technology that fuses their bodies with mechanical parts. Half monster, half machine. Their leader, a creature masked in thick armor, lifts up the Sword of Darkness. It spreads a black cloud over the army, fueling their bizarre technology with energy.
…until one battle changed it all.
On Grayskull’s side, the soldiers’ battle armor suddenly grows around them like a mechanical shell, encasing their bodies in a high tech metal poly-alloy. On the other side, the snarling beasts rise up, their hydraulic parts expanding and enhancing their size. The two armies run straight at each other and clash violently. Awesome advanced warfare. Mix high tech, swords, and otherworldly creatures and you have a sense of what Eternia’s all about.
King Grayskull squares off against the other leader. During the fight, he manages to defeat him and cause him to drop the Sword of Darkness. Grayskull picks it up and suddenly the two swords begin to fuse together.
It was King Grayskull who first realized that to stop a war between two sides, you had to bring them together.
Metal wrapping around, metal, sparks flying, like a fusion reaction, coils winding down the blades and suddenly and finally nestling at the handle which King Grayskull raises in the air creating a blinding light that spreads over the battlefield. Soldiers on both sides stop fighting and watch in awe.
In that moment, light and darkness combined to form a life-giving magic, subjugating everyone under it’s incredible power. So long as the king lived, Eternia never saw another war again.
We are next in a private chamber, where the much older King Grayskull lies on his death bed, surrounded by well-wishers.
But when his end came, his inner circle feared what no successor would be able to honor the balance the king had created.
Next at a table in the Hall of Wisdom (an ancient temple marked with stone ornamentation), a sacred site, sit six warriors. They are identified by ancient tribal tattoos on their faces. They surround the two swords wrapped in silk.
Six warriors, endowed with the magic of the blades, were trusted with separating them and burying each in a secret location. They were called the Masters of the Universe…
Three masters take one blade, three take the other. They embrace each other and go separate ways.
…and they took these secrets to their graves. For several generations the swords have remained hidden until now.
In present day Eternia at the Sands of Fire, EVIL-LYN (30s) a gorgeous seductress with the same markings all over her face that the Masters wore, has found the location of the Sword of Darkness.
Her companion, obscured in shadow and wearing a heavy hood, scans the terrain. His name is KELDOR (40s).
Keldor reaches for the sword. As his fingers touch it he suddenly undergoes a euphoric vision of dark wonders and endows Keldor with all terrifying forces of black magic. Keldor’s hands wither at the touch of this power. His skin begins to erode. Flesh turns to tissue and then to bone. Soon the sensation spreads to his arms, his shoulders, his face…literally tearing the skin from his bone. He madly clings to the blade as we smash to the main title card GRAYSKULL: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
Weeks later, we are at Capitol City, the center of civic life in Eternia. A stunning achievement of a civilization that incorporates advanced technology and magic. At the Royal Palace, a colossal celebration is underway – the Anniversary of the Great Unrest commemorating Grayskull’s victory many centuries ago. YOUNG ADAM ( 14) is there – dirty blonde with striking blue eyes. He’s the kind of tough kid who acts first and thinks later. He is there with his father KING RANDOR (50s) –the kind of man you’d have to spend a lifetime living up to. They have a father son moment where Randor tells his son Adam that a true leader brings their people together, whatever their differences. Adam tells his dad that he is not that man. Randor looks down at Adam sadly and wonders if he ever will be.
Meanwhile, at the gates of the Royal Palace, two soldiers walk the palace grounds as fireworks explode in the sky. The first, with a face that has seen the horrors of war and yet still stays above it is GENERAL DUNCAN aka MAN-AT-ARMS (40s). The second is just as tough with battle scars all over his body – KRONIS (30s). Let’s just say Kronis betrays Duncan, knocks him out, and opens the palace gates. A heavy black mist pours through the opening.
Kronis and several Eternian guards stage a coup and try to kill King Randor. King Randor puts up a fight and evens the odds.
A terrifying and powerful presence enters wearing THE CHROME MASK OF A SKULL, clad in armor, a hood over his head, the Sword of Darkness mounted on his back, the man formerly known as Keldor…
…now known as SKELETOR.
Kronis fires a huge blast at Randor who drops to his knees. Randor tells Adam to run. Randor uses what strength he has left and slices KRONIS across the face who screams out and falls backward. MOTU fans know that Kronis will become TRAP-JAW. Skeletor stands over a weakened Randor then he suddenly plunges the Sword of Darkness into Randor’s back, killing him for good – our inciting incident. Adam watches in horror, tears forming in his eyes. Adam escapes and Skeletor gives the order to his goons to kill Adam.
Man At Arms helps Adam escape and instructs him to go to the frontier until the time is right. Skeletor’s dark army lays siege to Captiol City and it falls tragically like Troy.
Adam makes it to the edge of the frontier and collapses beside a cluster of trees on top of a hill. A FALCON perches itself on a branch above him. Majestic, dignified, mysterious . Wind picks up in the clattering of branches, we begin to hear a voice, speaking in a whisper, manipulating the sound of the leaves to shape a language. The voice of the SORCERESS. She tells Adam that his time is not over and shows him his future.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind tears the leaves from the branches and causes them to float freely in the air, forming the image of CASTLE GREYSKULL.
A beautiful stone structure surrounded by a precipice. Epic in detail and a front face which resembles a GIANT SKULL, complete with a raised drawbridge where the mouth would be. The wind ceases. The leaves fall to the ground. Then the falcon spreads it wings and takes flight.
Days later, in a dust storm, Adam is rescued by ZODAK (40s) wearing heavy animal hides and high-tech gear strapped across his chest. A powerful black man, an experienced warrior. Across Zodak’s face and arms are several mystical tattoos similar to what the Masters wore earlier. Zodak belongs to the Order of the Masters. Protectors of the legacy of Greyskull.
For the next 10 pages or so, reminiscent of Batman Begins, Adam gets mentored by Zodak for the next seven years and turns the pampered 14yr old Prince Adam into a 21 yr old bad ass warrior. We get some more cool backstory which I prefer not to spoil. Basically, Adam has to prove himself worthy of the Sword of Light and to use the power of the Sword to create balance, to fight for something greater than himself. We find out that Keldor/Skeletor was actually King Randor’s brother…Adam’s uncle.
We also find out that the Sorceress is the only surviving member of the original Six Masters of the Universe. Now she is the protector of Castle Greyskull. If Adam can get the Sorceress to unlock the Sword of Light, he will be able to stand up to his uncle and take back Eternia. But first, Adam has to prove himself worthy and find Castle Greyskull which is well hidden. So the script also throws in a treasure hunt for good measure and executed perfectly.
The Masters once spoke about the Legend of the He-Man. A fallen son who would find the Sword of Light and unify his kingdom. Will Adam fulfill his destiny? Well, I guess we are going to have to wait and see what Warner Brothers decides to do. I hope to God they make this because you can see the effort it took over a year to complete this draft. The script is lean, mean, got no fat, no camp or cheese and is full of story and action. A special effects house is going to have a field day with the set pieces and battles that take place throughout the story. Like I said earlier, Warners executes this remotely like 300 – they have a monster hit and a potential franchise on their hands. My sources tell me the young execs behind Grayskull are MOTU fanboys that are passionate about this project and are really trying hard to take this to the next level.
Ok, so Silver Pictures took a bit of a hit with Speed Racer, so what? Silver Pictures has in their possession, a script that lays out the blueprint for a movie that is guaranteed to be a fanboy classic. All that made He-man corny, even that forgettable Dolph Lundgren movie is not here. MOTU fans get the movie they have been wishing for over 25 years. I got some bad news folks, unfortunately, pertaining to HE-MAN, since Silver took a hit with Speed Racer, Warners has been unresponsive to Silver projects.
Hands down folks, Justin Marks listened to the fanboys and wrote the next potential Lord of the Rings. Mr. Silver, Mr. Horn, and Mr. Robinov, I hope you are reading this. You would be insane not to at least look at this. Give this script to any creative exec in their early 30s at the studio and I dare you guys to tell me that I’m dead wrong about Grayskull.
Anyway, in spite of the writer’s strike, this has so far been a damn good year for scripts and GRAYSKULL: THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is already and easily in my top five. I would spoil a lot more but I hope the groundwork I presented today gets all you fans excited. It would be a disservice to spoil more but I leave you with this, the supporting characters.
Along with SKELETOR and EVIL-LYN, the bad guys are TRAP-JAW, TRI-KLOPS (Skeletor’s main henchman), and BEAST MAN. Skeletor’s evil cat PANTHOR is in here too.
Posted by: Steven The Comic Book Artist ! on June 4, 2008 at 16:36:19
To: Chris
That sounds pretty damn cool. Like what I read.
Got a link to a site where I could read this?
I'm thinking about sending an email to Warner Bros. and Joel Silver (respectively) to give them a heads up on this. I like the way it sounds.
As for casting, in most other movies of this genre (sci-fi, comics...) a lot of fans tend to throw around the names of wrestlers to fill roles in upcoming flicks. This property pretty much demands buffed up actors for certain roles since so many of the said characters in the Masters of the Universe are well built. Hopefully talented unknowns are the answer. Although I have to say that if I were to cast a wrestler (BIG IF, plus I wouldn't want to turn this into a "wrestler movie"), I'd cast Chris Jericho as He-Man. He seems to be one of the very few wrestlers that could probably deliver a good performance. I know casting is premature at this point, but it's always fun to suggest.
Love the above post of yours, man! I, too, hope that the powers (of Grayskull) that be seriously look at this.
Sounds great!!!
I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: CHRIS on June 4, 2008 at 18:39:29
to steve the comic book artist:
i read it yesterday on comic2film.com. i dont know if they still have it up or not but thats where i got it under Grayskull: Masters of the Universe Script Review
Posted by: TATTYBOY on June 4, 2008 at 19:22:41
What they need for this movie is a cosmic key synthesiser thingy,a crap mulleted actor (who you can see looking for his mark on the floor)Monica from friends,a Skeletor with a crappy rubber face who used to be Dracula,a poo Beast-Man...and the bloke from Voyager.Now thats how to make a classic movie,oh come on if I can remember all those class details from a movie made over 20 years ago it's bound to be worth doing it the same way again.Lol.
Posted by: padraig sweeney on June 4, 2008 at 23:28:18
Yea def! I cant believe no one is amped up for this. If they do it right I think it would be sick! Def would need an R rating to get it done, kinda with a 300 cinematic look.
Posted by: RJ on June 5, 2008 at 01:36:13
He-Man sucks!!!! I want She-Man!!!!!
Posted by: D-MAN on June 5, 2008 at 08:28:34
Ill wait for a trailer.
Posted by: he-man is so gay on June 5, 2008 at 13:17:48
i want fisto
Posted by: Heretical View? on June 14, 2008 at 13:47:36
At the risk of being branded a heretic, I think that the 1987 movie did have a couple of good points that a revival of this franchise might want to take into account. For example the Skeletor costume (the black one) was just sooooo much better for a menacing villain than the purple and blue version of the cartoons. The Sorceress wasn't too bad either, although perhaps a simpler headdress might have been better. Also the interiors of Castle Greyskull looked suitably epic. I know lots of people would prefer that the '87 movie never happened, but I think in the areas of costume and set design there's material there that warrants a look at least and maybe even inclusion in the next iteration.
Posted by: badash138 on June 28, 2008 at 19:05:50
AWSOME!!!!!!!AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!AWSOME!!!!!!!!
FLIMED LIKE 300 ZODAK MAJOR BOX OFFICE SMASH
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