WHILE we may have thought it would be an ‘Eternia’ before we would be seeing another Masters of the Universe on the big screen, the mythological gang have taken a small albeit significant, step towards a return. But, in exactly what form remains a mystery.
Certainly the hero of the piece, He-Man appears set to lose his trademark blond bouffant, and his extremely suspect woolly budgie smugglers – for possibly a crew cut and army fatigues.
The Hollywood Reporter says Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures have hired relative unknown Evan Daugherty to write the latest draft of a script titled Grayskull, and gives weight to the proposterous rumour that Adam, aka He-Man, will be human.
A soldier, in fact, who while on duty in Iraq, stumbles upon a portal which transports him to the far off land of Eternia, where he takes up the good fight against Skeletor and his crew.
“Warners sees the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and re-imagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic,” THR says.
Grayskull was originally penned by Justin Marks, who apparently envisioned a serious Lord of the Rings-type take on He-Man’s battle with Skeletor, staged over three films. Something with a harder edge than what the often campy cartoon series of ’80s offered, but staying more true to its roots.
No Iraq. No humans. No portals. No storyline borrowed heavily from Stargate, the upcoming Avatar or Flash Gordon.
Half the problem of the first live-action ‘Masters’, released in 1987, was that the makers set it on Earth. The other half was of course casting Dolph Lundgren in the key role of He-Man. Now we’re getting an Earthling moving to Eternia?
The push for a new Masters of the Universe movie has been gaining momentum after the unbelievable success of Transformers (2007), which is being followed this year by a sequel and a first live-action adaptation of fellow toy line GI Joe, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
It’s a hard act to follow. Regardless, this Grayskull has disaster written all over it. Just stay true to the original material, and it might have a chance.
‘You have the power!’.
If they area really planing to make a he-man be american solider in Iraq, then they better burn the script and forget about this project. I hate Hollywood for destroying the originality of the characters and their story. Stick to He-Man being as close as possible to the original cartoon and looks but in a serious tone. You are targeting 80′s fans anyways and not today kids.