As Sony and Mattel power forward with their Masters of the Universe reboot, a pair of new writers have been hired to shore up a previous treatment. According to a new report from Variety, the writing duo of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have been tapped to pen a new script.
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Most recently, the duo finished work writing the script for Men in Black: International, the June 14th release featuring Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in addition to Taken franchise lead Liam Neeson.
For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marcum and Holloway will probably best known as the screenwriters behind Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008).
The change in writers marks another step in the ever-changing carousel of talent rotation as the latest reboot — based on Mattel’s 1980s toy line of the same name — has been stuck in development hell for the past half-decade.
Marcum and Holloway take over for David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy), who will remain with the project in an executive producer capacity. Before Goyer was tabbed to write a treatment, Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok), Steve Tisch, and Jeff Wadlow — the latter two, of which, wrote Kick-Ass — had all been rumored to have a hand in developing a script.
The latest report mentions that brothers Adam and Aaron Nee are still attached to the project to direct. The brothers Nee weren’t the first directors hired for the project, either. Before the Band of Robbers alumni signed on, other directors considered for the position were said to have included John Woo, McG, and Jon M. Chu.
Of course, this recent live-action film isn’t the first movie in the Masters of the Universe franchise. Action star Dolph Lundgren previously portrayed the lead role of He-Man in the 1987 flick, which fell flat with fans and critics alike. Directed by Gary Goddard, the film only grossed $17.3 at the box office — against its budget of $22 million — on its way to a present-day approval rating of 17% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Are you looking forward to He-Man and Skeletor making a reappearance in live-action? What other Masters of the Universe characters do you hope to see in the movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Its previously-revealed release date fell on December 18th, 2019 although that date should inevitably be pushed back as the film as yet to enter pre-production.
