Deadline reports that director McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) is in negotiations to helm the Masters of the Universe reboot for Sony. The director will oversee a rewrite of the script first, with the current draft having been penned by Alex Litvak and Mike Finch (Predators).
Originally launched as a popular Mattel toy line in 1982, “Masters of the Universe” spawned several animated series (including the female-driven spinoff cartoon series, “She-Ra: Princess of Power”) along with a 1987 live-action film. Directed by Gary Goddard, the first Masters of the Universe movie stars Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, Frank Langella as Skeletor and, in one of her very first big screen roles, a young Courteney Cox as Julie Winston, a teenage character created specifically for the film.
Masters of the Universe follows Prince Adam, who has the ability to transform into a warrior called He-Man. As He-Man, Adam becomes the last hope for a magical land called Eternia, ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.
The Masters of the Universe movie has gone through a number of writers and directors in the years it’s been in development, with G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu the initial choice to helm the live-action project. Previously Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) had completed his own draft of the screenplay and was reportedly in contention for the directing job. Following Wadlow’s script, Pirates of the Caribbean scribe Terry Rossio wrote a draft with Thor: The Dark World and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok screenwriter Christopher Yost having a turn afterward.
Masters of the Universe is being produced by Sony and Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch.
