The long-awaited and much-discussedMasters of the Universereboot is finally getting itself together. Sony has been developing this project for a very long time, with plenty of roadblocks and false starts along the way. However, now that Mattel has formed its own movie division, Mattel Films, that’s seemed to help push the project in the right direction. Case in point, the movie has locked in a brand new release date for 2021.
According to a new report,Masters of the Universeis now set to arrive on August 18, 2025. Originally, Sony had planted a flag for the potential franchise starter in late December of this year, hoping to be one of the 2019 holiday blockbusters. Unfortunately, with shifts that were made during the development process, they were forced to delay the movie. However, it seems that things are starting to land on more certain ground and, assuming there isn’t another huge, unforeseen shake-up taking place, we could finally see He-Man in a modern franchise blockbuster in the relatively near future.
We recently learned thatNoah Centineo, known for his work in movies such asTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, has been cast to play the new He-Man. Given that the studio has settled on a lead actor, that would seem to be a signal that they’re much closer to actually filming this movie than they previously were when David S. Goyer was attached to write and possibly direct. At present, the duo of Aaron and Adam Nee (Band of Robbers) have been tapped by Sony and Mattel to helm the new adaptation of the popular line of action figures from the 80s.
While plot details for the current iteration are being kept under wraps, generally, speaking, based on the popular animated television shows,He-Manis locked in a battle with Skeletor and his evil underlings on the planet of Eternia. Sony is no doubt eyeing this is a potential franchise starter. Mattel, meanwhile, is hoping to turn some of their most attractive properties into blockbuster movies at various studios. They also have aBarbiemovie, with Margot Robbie attached to star, in the works at Warner Bros. ButMasters of the Universeseems like it could have the most potential, in terms of a multi-movie blockbuster series, than anything else.
The property was previously adapted for the big screen, with famously disastrous results, in 1987.Dolph Lundgren portrayed He-Manin that version, with Frank Langella taking on the role of Skeletor. Director Gary Goddard’s flop is part of what has made this property so difficult to re-adapt for the big screen in the years since.Masters of the Universehas had several well-liked animated adaptations, most notably the first run, which aired 130 episodes between 1983 and 1985. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
