A live action He-Man film may be on the way from Amazon MGM Studios. The studio is reportedly intent to bag the rights to the long-in-the-offing live action film, the first since the cult classic Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lundgren back in the 1980s.
The news stems from Variety who reports that Netflix exited development on a planned $200 million project. Amazon is now said to be looking at bagging the rights to the property though there has been no official word from the studio or He-Man IP owners Mattel (who had a stoking 2023 with their other big toy line Barbie, of course).
Related: Home Entertainment: ‘Barbie’ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review
He-Man has been adapted for the small screen many times, including that hugely popular 1980s TV series, a staple in my household. It has, more recently been seen in animated form on Netflix in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which ran for three seasons up until 2022.
On Eternia, the first planet of creation, a demonic tyrant rises: Skeletor! With dark armies at his command, Skeletor is on the march, hell-bent on capturing Eternia’s kingdoms, and its ultimate prize – Castle Grayskull, the ancient fortress of mystery said to contain the greatest power in the universe. It’s up to He-Man and his brave squad of rookie heroes to stop Skeletor and restore the peace. Both sides come armed with enchanted Power Weapons – transforming them into Masters of the Primal Powers of the Universe. It’s Master vs. Dark Master, He-Man vs. Skeletor – fighting for control of Eternia, Castle Grayskull, and the fate of us all. In the end, who will become MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE?
Synopsis for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe TV series on Netflix
Then there was that 1987 movie produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan which will always hold a special place in my heart. Remember this?
A live action He-Man film would be magnificent, of course, and, if Amazon come into play, it would have the potential to reach the big screen for release as well as having a huge audience on the streaming platform Prime Video, eventually. The trade eludes to that and adds that Courtenay Valenti is now Amazon’s new head of theatrical film and streaming. Valenti was previously head of production at Warner Bros.,the studio behind the $1.4 billion-grossing Barbie, a project she worked on.
There’s more at the end of the link. We’ll bring you more as it comes in.
