‘Masters of the Universe’ Film Gets New Directors

Aaron and Adam Nee are the latest directors attached to Sony Pictures and Mattel’s Masters of the Universe film adaptation, according to Variety.

The brothers will be taking a big step up in terms of budget, having worked primarily on indie projects in the past. Their most recent feature film, Band of Robbers, featured Smallville’s Kyle Gallner and Supergirl‘s Melissa Benoist in leading roles.

Such a big move up is a sign of confidence in the pair, and has become increasingly common in big blockbusters, with directors like Colin Trevorrow and Josh Trank moving from zero-budget darlings to mega-budget tentpoles in short order. Success is a mixed bag there, as evidenced by the filmmakers named, but there seems to be a consensus that a talented filmmaker can translate his skills to a bigger canvas provided he has guidance.

First unleashed on audiences as a cartoon and toy line in the early ’80s, Masters of the Universe centers on Prince Adam, a benevolent monarch on the planet Eternia, who utilizes magic and super-science to become He-Man and battle forces of evil led by a would-be despot named Skeletor.

A previous live-action feature film, starring Arrow‘s Dolph Lundgren, was released in 1987 and is generally dismissed as not only bad, but almost completely untrue to the source material.

In the ten years that rumors of a reboot have been circulating in Hollywood, the film has changed hands a number of times, with directors including John Woo, McG, and Jon M. Chu rumored to be involved along with writers like Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok), Steve Tisch and Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass) attached as writers.

McG exited in April, with Goyer named to rewrite the screenplay at that time — an interesting twist of fate, since McG was one of the filmmakers reportedly courted for Superman in the years before Goyer’s Man of Steel reboot got traction.

Goyer wrote the most recent draft of the script, which has been in development hell since about 2015. Goyer was briefly considered as a director for his Masters of the Universe script, but those talks apparently fell apart due to prior commitments on Goyer’s schedule.

The film is planned for a December 18, 2019 release.