He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: What could the movie face upon release?

The He-Man reboot has the potential to be a goldmine or an under cooked goose, but what could lie ahead of its new release date?

With directors Aaron and Adam Nee leading the charge of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reboot for Sony Pictures, things appear to be on track after years of being stuck in development hell from studio to studio. It was not long ago, it was reported that the release date was pushed back from Dec. 18, 2019 to Mar. 5, 2021.

Now that Iron–Man writers, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, re-written the latest draft of the script for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe  and Noah Centineo is cast in the role of He-Man/Prince Adam, with production to be underway sometime next month in Prague, things seem to be running smoothly. So it seems. Though what will the Masters of the Universe face at the time of its release?

Before continuing the dilemma that Sony may face with the Masters of the Universe film, let me state that before the launch of Mattel Films, an in-house film studio and a subsidiary under Mattel, Sony acquired the rights to the brand in 2009. Another property Sony acquired the rights to adapt into a live-action film was Barbie, which has since reverted back to Mattel and Warner Bros. are taking a crack at it.

At the time this feature-length editorial is being published, we are not certain as to the approach they are taking with Masters of the Universe, nor are we aware as to what level of control Mattel Films has over the production. Whether they are co-financiers, they handle some of the merchandising and PR or cover the costs of advertising.

All we do know is the Nee Brothers, relatively independent filmmakers at best are fans of the property. While that maybe the case, to what degree? What did David S. Goyer write that the Nee Bros. could work with? How extensive were the rewrites from Marcum and Holloway?

As some writers, who make the transition from producing and then directing, while their execution and command of their overall voice may vary, some writers tend to be only as good when paired with a filmmaker of any given project. Goyer and Dark Phoenix’s Simon Kinberg come to mind.

Marcum and Holloway, for all intents and purposes are a white-collar screenwriting duo, who have had some hits and misses, such as Iron–Man, the divisive Punisher: War Zone and the lackluster MIB: International. Although the latest exposé from The Hollywood Reporter seem to suggest between the rewrites, which made Marcum and Holloway’s original script null and void, and a cut of the film, which crossed paths with Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious director, F. Gary Gray, and his vision it may not be quite their fault. All these demands were made by producer, Walter F. Parkes, an important name we will get back to later.

Beforehand, time was of the essence back when Masters of the Universe had a limit of time before the licensing rights lapsed. Now, although time is not an issue, the main dilemma at hand is outside competition and reaching their demographic. Kid’s Choice Awards star, Centineo, is more than likely attracting a younger audience than those who grew up in the Filmation era of He-Man back in the 80s. If I can hazard a guess, I suspect the Nee Bros. could also possibly be citing the Splash Entertainment (formerly Mike Young Productions) remake back in the early 2000s as an influence.

The remake, which lasted two seasons, paid a lot more homage to the original series than any previous version after it and explored a lot more of the mythology not previously done before. The series was also known for bringing in some of the original writers, including the late Larry DiTillio. That being said, are the Nee Bros. looking to go to have Centineo train for the role and use part motion-capture between transformations or full-on CGI? That is not certain at this point.

Another problem that will arise is the release date of Mar. 5, Masters of the Universe is coming out weeks after an unnamed Marvel Studios film. That could likely be Black Panther 2, given the three-year gap or another property. Sony has at least two weekends to gross as much profit as they can before the tenth and final Fast and Furious installment opens Apr. 2, 2021.

Enter Walter F. Parkes, aside from the legend that is Steven Spielberg, is one of today’s most active producers to date, having been involved with over 50 films. He graduated cum laude at Yale University and became a screenwriter and producer. Together with his wife, Laurie MacDonald, they help build DreamWorks, Parkes was President of Amblin Entertainment and later formed Parkes/MacDonald.

Parkes is attached to the Barbie movie, which has been in development hell at Sony for years. Mattel retained the license and was purchased by Warner Bros. This is important as it will determine future properties being adapted by Mattel Films, including Masters of the Universe. Let’s hope less corporate meddling is involved this time in the reboot and the Nee Bros.’ vision is the goldmine they need and not what killed the golden goose.